CMAG ends, Lanka not on agenda

The Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) held its thirty-ninth meeting in London today but Sri Lanka was not on the main agenda.
The meeting, chaired by Dr Dipu Moni, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh, was also attended by Senator Bob Carr, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Australia, John Baird, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Canada, AJ Nicholson, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Jamaica, Dr Abdul Samad Abdullah, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Maldives, Dr Samura Kamara, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sierra Leone, Bernard K Membe, Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Tanzania, Winston Dookeran, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Trinidad and Tobago and Nipake Edward Natapei, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and External Trade of Vanuatu.
At the meeting CMAG welcomed the recent adoption by Heads of Government, and signature by The Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, of the Charter of the Commonwealth, encapsulating the core values and principles of the Commonwealth. It noted that the Charter reaffirmed the Commonwealth?s commitment inter alia to democracy, human rights, the rule of law, separation of powers, freedom of expression, good governance, tolerance, respect and understanding and the role of civil society. As the custodian of the Commonwealth?s fundamental political values, the Group pledged to continue to promote these commonly agreed goals.
The Group reviewed developments in relation to Fiji which is currently on its formal agenda.