New Zealand PM will not boycott CHOGM

Tuesday, 12 November 2013 01:39 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

New Zealand Prime Minister John Key says he will attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in the Sri Lankan capital despite calls for him to boycott the summit following the detention of a New Zealand Parliamentarian. Key said he will be leaving for Colombo on Thursday to take part in the meeting that is to open on Friday in Colombo. Opposition parties have called on Key to follow the Indian and Canadian prime Ministers and boycott the world leaders’ biennial meeting after Sri Lanka detained the Green Party MP Jan Logie along with the Australian Green Party Senator Lee Rhiannon for violating visa regulations. Opponents also call on the PM to oppose the Sri Lankan President assuming the chairmanship of the 53-member Commonwealth

organisation for the next two years on the basis of Sri Lanka’s alleged human right violations. He told the media that Sri Lanka assuming chairmanship at the 2013 CHOGM was decided when Sri Lanka was selected as the venue for this year’s summit and there is no way to stop Sri Lankan becoming the next chair. Prime Minister Key has pledged to raise the issue when he meets Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa in Colombo later this week. He said that New Zealand Foreign Minister Murray McCully who is to accompany the PM to Sri Lanka will visit the conflict-affected north to observe the progress. “We have requested a meeting with the President, assuming that takes place we will put our concerns on the table,” he told the New Zealand media. He said nothing would be achieved by boycotting the meeting. “It would still go ahead,” he said. By attending they will be have an opportunity to make their concerns known, he said.