Commonwealth and Fiji Agree to Continue Dialogue Despite Threat of Expulsion

By Rich Bowden

Img: Fiji Parliament House, Suva. Credit: timoshea95/flickr

Though recent moves by the Commonwealth to expel Fiji for not agreeing to commit to elections by 2010 have soured relations between the two, both have agreed to keep open lines of negotiations despite not being able to arrange a mutually convenient time for a visit by a Commonwealth delegation.

A statement released yesterday by Eduardo del Buey, the spokesperson for Kamalesh Sharma, the Commonwealth Secretary-General, said the Commonwealth had received an invitation from the Interim Government of Fiji inviting it to send a representative to discuss the body's move to ban Fiji if it refuses to commit to 2010 elections within a month.

The Fiji military government, which seized power in a December 2006 coup, revoked the country's constitution earlier this year and has refused to stage elections until 2014.

According to the spokesperson's statement: "...the Secretary-General conveyed an immediate and positive response to the Fiji Interim Government, proposing that a delegation led by the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Fiji, Sir Paul Reeves, visit Suva on specific dates in August."

However the government of Fiji, led by interim Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama rejected the dates proposed for the visit by the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Fiji, Sir Paul Reeves as being unsuitable.

Both the Fiji government and the Secretary-General though have reiterated their agreement to initiate dialogue.

Commodore Bainimarama, speaking on Indian-Fijian radio station Radio Tarana, said his government was willing to arrange discussions with the Commonwealth.

"I will give a formal reply to the secretary-general of the Commonwealth on Fiji's position before September," he said.

"If the Commonwealth decides to suspect Fuji after receiving that reply, there's not much we can do about then, eh?".

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Fiji On Edge of Banishment From Commonwealth

By Rich Bowden

Img: Fiji's Parliament House, Suva. Credit: jaredw_1986


New Zealand Foreign Minister Murray McCully has declared the Commonwealth's decision to give Fiji a month to commit to holding elections next year or risk banishment as a Commonwealth member as a "clear ultimatum" to the military government. However Fiji has said it would not comment on the suspension threat until officially advised by the Commonwealth.

New Zealand Foreign Minister Murray McCully told reporters following the decision that Fiji was now clearly under notice to bring forward stated elections.

"Fiji needs to decide whether it wants to engage with the international community [or] whether it wants to stay in the Commonwealth," he said.

"If they intend to do so they need to hold elections next year. Fiji has [currently] said it will [not] hold elections [until] 2014."

McCully said he remained optimistic that the military government - which seized power in a coup in 2006 - would accede to Commonwealth wishes and hold election within twelve months.

“The economic situation in Fiji has been deteriorating. There's got to be a point where the regime decides it's time to re-engage with the international community and accept some help,” Mr McCully said to the New Zealand Press Association.

“I hope this is the time but I'm not holding my breath.”

Img below: Fiji flag.
However Fiji's Attorney General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, was quoted by the Fiji Village website as saying his interim military government has received no official word on the threat and will reserve comment until discussions on the subject are held on the matter with the Commonwealth.

Recently the country has been seen the resignation of the respected figurehead President Ratu Josefa Iloilo and his replacement by the serving vice-president Ratu Epeli Nailatikau, weakening further the military government's legitimacy. However real power in the military dictatorship lies with the enigmatic Commodore Frank Bainimarama, the defence forces commander and now interim prime minister who led the December 2006 coup.

His government has already reneged on a promise to hold elections earlier this year and lost any vestige of legitimacy when the Commodore annulled the country's constitution in May after the Fiji Court of Appeal had ruled his government illegal.

Since the 2006 takeover Bainimarama has ruled as a virtual dictator and refused repeated international requests to restore democracy on the islands. The country will not be present at next week's annual Pacific Islands Forum in Cairns, Australia due to a decision by the members to suspend the country from the talks - the first time this has occurred in the Forum's 38-year history.


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