Murray McCully told TVNZ’s Q + A program that New Zealand has to let Fiji work it out while making it clear the international community is there to lend a hand.
McCully said New Zealand must avoid seeing the situation as a contest with the military regime to make them have elections.
“We can’t make them have elections and can’t stop them wrecking their economy,” he said.
The foreign minister said there is lots more New Zealand could do but any further action would restrict the freedoms of New Zealanders to travel or trade with Fiji and that would put us in the same category.
He said that along with other countries, New Zealand is looking at fine-tuning sanctions and could toughen up the impact of sanctions targeting regime and members of their families.
But he reiterated that the government was not going to do anything drastic to change the regime because anything substantial would effectively “make us no better than them.”
McCully admits Australia and New Zealand’s sanctions policy isn’t working and hasn’t brought Fiji to hold elections.
He said various international bodies have talked to Fiji in good faith and they all feel let down.
“We are dealing with a tough regime and it is not going to bend in a hurry,” he said.
McCully said they weigh up foreign policy on a case by case basis.
He said Tonga is now on a path to democracy from a feudal monarchy with democratic elections set for next year and New Zealand has been able to make a significant contribution in opening up China’s economy.
But he said there has been no opportunity to engage with Burma.
McCully said New Zealand always seeks to be part of any solution, not problem.
Questioned about China’s aid to Fiji, he said the official line is that New Zealand welcomes China’s generosity in the Pacific
But he said given the size of the ocean being shared by 14 smaller Pacific nations, the government is working to get China to understand the benefits of working more closely with New Zealand and Australia.
He said he is pleased checkbook diplomacy in the Pacific is being scaled back.
