Sydney  - Pacific Forum countries will meet next month to decide whether to suspend Fiji's military rulers from their 16-member regional forum, the Papua New Guinea government announced in Port Moresby on Friday.

The meeting, which was initially scheduled for Tuesday, will be held February 10, Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare said in a statement.

Fiji's leader, Commodore Frank Bainimarama, who ousted the elected government in a bloodless coup two years ago, told Somare he couldn't attend next week because he was required in Suva to oversee flood-relief efforts.

Forum leaders threatened to impose sanctions on Fiji after Bainimarama reneged on a pledge to hold fresh elections and restore democracy by March.

Suspending Fiji's membership would be a first for the 37-year-old regional grouping.

Bainimarama, who boycotted the forum's annual summit last year, told a New Zealand radio station on Monday that he would not go to the Papua New Guinea meeting because of floods that ravaged his nation of about 930,000 people last week. (dpa)