Fiji's interim prime minister and acting Finance Minister Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama will not be attending the World Bank meeting in Washington after his visa was denied.

The denial of the visa by the United States Embassy in Suva has forced the interim Prime Minister to cancel his travel plans to Washington.

Prime Ministers Office permanent secretary, Parmesh Chand confirmed that the message was conveyed to the PM's Office.

"When the message was conveyed to us we had asked them (US Embassy) to formally put it in writing that the visa was denied," he said.

Bainimarama was to have represented the interim regime at a meeting of finance ministers from member countries of the International Monetary Fund next week.

Attempts to get a comment from the US embassy remained futile.

Mr. Chand added that the denial of the visa was disappointing for the interim regime.

"He (Bainimarama) was going to a multi-lateral meeting of the IMF and the World Bank. It was not out of choice but out of necessity that the PM had to attend as the location of the meeting is Washington," he said.

Washington has been an outspoken critic of the coup, and the interim regime's decision to renege on a promise to hold elections and restore democracy by the end of March next year. Fiji Times, 09/10/08.