WELLINGTON (Pacnews) — New Zealand ‘s Foreign Minister Winston Peters is not certain if he is on the list of people banned from entering Fiji.
Peters said he had seen media reports but nothing official that would amount to a ban on him — “not that it makes any difference to me.”
He was not contemplating a trip to Fiji, but he did have observations on Fiji’s participation in the rugby sevens tournament in Wellington:
“I did think the Fijians played brilliantly until they got into the final, whereupon the Samoans borrowed our tactics and won with them.”
Prime Minister Helen Clark and Australian Prime Minister John Howard have been banned from Fiji in retaliation for the travel bans imposed on leading members of the administration led by Commodore Frank Bainimarama.
Last week, he called on New Zealand to relax its travel ban as it impeded his ability to form a government, because potential appointees knew they would not be able to visit relatives in New Zealand.
“If there’s one thing I want to ask from Helen Clark and Winston Peters it is to understand what’s happened in our country and it’s not so much about democracy as about good governance,” he told TV3. “Understand that and please provide us assistance,” Fiji’s military ruler said.
Bainimarama said Clark and Peters were being childish and vindictive.
Peters said Bainimarama had been warned about the consequences of a coup, verbally and by letter.
“He was told very, very clearly by me and also in a letter which I gave him so there would be no doubt about it beforehand.,” he said.