However, that decision will have to be endorsed by Leaders of 15 Forum Island Countries when they meet for their special session in Port Moresby on Jan. 27.
Suspending Fiji from the grouping of 16 Forum Island Countries will be a consequence of “failure to meet the faithful and unconditional undertaking the interim Fijian prime minister made to his colleague leaders.”
Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Stephen Smith reiterated this position at a media briefing in Canberra.
“Commodore Frank Bainimarama gave an unconditional and faithful undertaking to the leaders of the Pacific Island Forum in Tonga in October of 2007 that he would ensure that an election in Fiji would be held before the end of the first quarter of this year,” Smith said.
“He made it clear to the Foreign Ministers Ministerial Contact Group, of which I am a member, when we went to Fiji in the middle of December last year, that he wasn’t proposing to hold an election on that timetable,” he added.
“Consequences have to flow as a result of the failure of the interim prime minister to meet the faithful and unconditional undertaking that he gave to his colleague leaders,” Smith said.
“As the prime minister and I have previously indicated, that may well include suspension of Fiji from the Pacific Island Forum,” Smith added.
That of course will be a matter for the leaders to contemplate when they meet in Papua New Guinea, Smith said.
On the question of whether the current emergency situation in Fiji brought on by severe floods and a possible prolonged cyclone weather would affect commitments for national elections, Smith said, ‘I don’t think Commodore Bainimarama had the floods in mind when he gave a faithful and unconditional undertaking in Oct. 2007 that he’d hold an election by the end of March this year.”
Despite the current strained diplomatic relations with Fiji, Australia, like New Zealand, has committed A$150,000 humanitarian assistance through the Fiji Red Cross.
“We’re advised that Red Cross is fully stocked at this stage,” Smith said. |But we’re announcing $150,000 assistance. Our officials later today will be in discussion with officials from the Fiji disaster management authority to see whether there’s more that Australia can do. We, of course, remain ready willing and able to do that, should that assistance be required.”
He added, “Can I also indicate that we are of course very concerned for the welfare of those in Fiji who’ve been adversely affected by the torrential rain and floods in Fiji.”
Smith reiterated that travel advisories to Fiji at this time indicate a period of torrential weather conditions, for travelers to take particular care.
“The difficulty, so far is the inconvenience for Australians to travel because of the closure of the road leading to Nadi Airport,” he said. “I’m advised that the road is in a better state today than in the last couple of days. So hopefully today we will see some further departures from the airport.”
According to Smith, “The problem is not the operation of the airport, the problem is access to the airport. We have two consular officers at Nadi Airport who are rendering assistance to Australians who are inconvenienced.”
