*EPF408 03/29/01
Text: U.S. Applauds Fiji's Commitment to Bring Speight to Trial
(State Department spokesman March 29 statement) (320)

The United States welcomes the statement by Fiji's Attorney General that George Speight and his accomplices who held Fiji's Prime Minister and members of his cabinet hostage will stand trial for their actions, State Department Spokesman Richard Boucher said March 29.

Following is the text:

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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman

March 29, 2001

STATEMENT BY RICHARD BOUCHER, SPOKESMAN

FIJI - TRIAL OF SPEIGHT AND ACCOMPLICES WILL PROCEED

We welcome the recent statement by Fiji's Attorney General confirming that George Speight and his accomplices will not be pardoned, but will instead stand trial for their actions.

In holding the Prime Minister and most of his cabinet hostage in Fiji's Parliament for nearly two months, Speight and his accomplices drove from power Fiji's first democratically elected government in twelve years. He did so in full view of reporters and cameramen from around the world, and made it clear he had launched this terrorist action to end constitutional democracy and deny human rights to Fiji's citizens.

The Secretary of State has recently reviewed the conduct of Speight and those involved in the hostage taking. They should understand that they can no longer travel freely to the United States. Those who are not already ineligible for a U.S. visa under our terrorist exclusion because of their role in the hostage taking should expect their visa applications to be carefully reviewed with a presumption of denial under the Secretary's foreign policy authority. The United States is strongly committed to democracy, human rights and the rule of law and is firmly opposed to hostage taking. We will reflect these policies in our visa decisions.

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(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)

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