He said this after a meeting with his New Zealand counterpart, Murray McCully on Tuesday in Suva.
Ratu Inoke feels that New Zealand might reconsider its stance against Fiji. The pair is expected to meet again soon.
“McCully and I will meet again in probably two weeks in Fiji, if not then during the margins of the United Nations General Assembly in New York next month,” he said.
“I sense that New Zealand might be changing its position to engage with Fiji expressing genuine interest to help with our reforms agenda towards the 2014 Elections,” Ratu Inoke said.
The pair met on Tuesday night and discussed a lot of pressing issues of common interest.
But McCully said the meeting doesn’t signal an imminent breakthrough.
New Zealand opposes the insistence of Fiji’s military regime of retaining power until 2014.
McCully said his meeting with Ratu Inoke Kubuabola was part of an ongoing dialogue he feels is important to maintain.
“It doesn’t suggest that we’re making any particular breakthroughs at the moment, just that it’s a work in progress, we’ve got to get the relationship into a better space and New Zealand’s got to try probably hardest of those in the neighborhood to find a way through this thing.”
McCully said the meeting covered Fiji’s concerns over travel bans and other types of sanctions, concerns with which New Zealand is familiar.
On the same note, Ratu Inoke also welcomed the show of support from new Solomon Islands Prime Minister Danny Philip.
Philip had a press conference in Honiara on Wednesday where he declared continued support for Fiji as a Melanesian brother.
“We welcome the understanding and support for Fiji as expressed by the new Solomons Prime Minister Hon Danny Philip in his press conference in Honiara.
“Our Prime Minister Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama today sent a congratulatory note to PM Philip,” Ratu Inoke said.
