Voreqe (Frank) Bainimarama on a road to where? (Photo by Selwyn Manning, courtesy of Scoop.co.nz.)

Pacific Scoop:
Report – By PMC Newsdesk.

Fiji’s military leader Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama has invited Pacific leaders to Fiji to take part in a conference titled “Engaging Fiji” – but New Zealand will not attend.

Only days after Bainimarama accused New Zealand and Australia of meddling in Melanesian politics, his government issued a Pacific-wide invite, stating: “Prime Minister Commodore Bainimarama has invited leaders of Pacific Island countries to participate in ‘Engaging Fiji Meeting’ to be held in Fiji. The meeting will take place at the Inter Continental Resort in Natadola on July 22 – 23.”

In a statement, Fiji’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ratu Inoke Kubuabola said: “The Fiji Government is keen to discuss these issues with leaders and friends who have an interest in Fiji’s sustainable development and also understand the role that this plays in the context of the Pacific.

“Fiji has been sincere, transparent and open about what it has set out to achieve in its Roadmap for Fiji’s return to Parliamentary Democracy, and we are fully determined to seeing this through,” Ratu Inoke Kubuabola said.

Earlier this week, Fiji expelled Australia’s acting high commissioner, Sarah Roberts, who had been serving as high commissioner in Suva since James Batley was expelled in 2009.

Australia’s foreign minister, Stephen Smith, said the expulsion was “unjustified and disappointing” and told The Australian newspaper that Canberra would not “respond in kind”.

Even Britain responded. Its Foreign Office minister Jeremy Browne said: “I am extremely disappointed that the Australian Acting High Commissioner has been expelled by the regime in Fiji. The UK Government believes this action will increase further Fiji’s isolation from the international community. The expulsion will hamper the dialogue that the international community has been calling for in order to assist Fiji in its return to democracy. The UK welcomes Australia’s measured response to this unfortunate situation.”

This latest expulsion occurred as Fiji felt New Zealand and Australia had manipulated its Melanesian neighbours to cancel a meeting. The Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) had planned to meet in Fiji in late July prior to the Pacific Islands Forum leaders summit – which will be held in Port Vila Vanuatu in August. But the Fiji MSG meeting was cancelled by the group after Vanuatu (the host of this year’s PIF summit) said it would boycott the meeting.

In retaliation, Fiji accused New Zealand and Australia of undermining Fiji’s plan to engage its Melanesian counterparts, of meddling in Fiji politics, and “trying to embarrass Fiji”.

New Zealand Prime Minister John Key refuted the accusation telling the New Zealand Press Association (published in the New Zealand Herald) the suggestion was “totally and utterly incorrect” and added “New Zealand hasn’t done anything… to undermine the MSG meeting.”

Key reiterated New Zealand will not accept the military regime’s invitation to attend a Pacific Island leaders meeting in Fiji.

New Zealand’s preference and commitment is clearly for Pacific Islands leaders to assemble in Port Vila for the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) summit on August 3, rather than be diverted by a meeting in Fiji.

Fiji was expelled from the PIF by leaders at the summit meeting in 2009. Fiji would be invited to rejoin the PIF once democracy was restored.

From the military government’s point of view, it wants its Pacific neighbours to take a hands-off approach toward its domestic affairs.

In a statement this week, Ratu Inoke Kubuabola said: “Fiji has been sincere, transparent and open about what it has set out to achieve in its Roadmap for Fiji’s return to Parliamentary Democracy, and we are fully determined to seeing this through,” he said.

John Key told NZPA: “”New Zealand has reached out to Fiji and tried to extend the hand of friendship and restore a diplomatic pathway. We are not trying to punish Fiji, we are simply trying to get democracy restored.”

Ironically, Fiji remains a significant location for Pacific Forum business. For example, this week Forum Secretariat Secretary General, Tuiloma Neroni Slade, chaired the Pacific Plan Action Committee (PPAC) meeting in Suva.

There he noted progress made through the Pacific Plan, as agreed at the 2005 Pacific Islands Forum, had improved fisheries conservation and management, sub-regional shipping services, trade liberalisation across the Pacific, and OCT development.

Slade added however that for further progress to be made “Strong political will is an absolute prerequisite”.

Meanwhile Fiji’s military government s keen to demonstrate its will to achieve progress.

Ratu Inoke said: “The Government is also not opposed to other observer missions interested in visiting and finding out for themselves the on ground progress we are making in Fiji . This, however, needs to fit in with our timing and be in compliance with the procedures”.

For more, see: Fiji Government’s July 15 statement.