VZCZCXRO9012
PP RUEHPB
DE RUEHSV #0067/01 0252013
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 252013Z JAN 07
FM AMEMBASSY SUVA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3717
INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING PRIORITY 0251
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA PRIORITY 1545
RUEHJA/AMEMBASSY JAKARTA PRIORITY 0096
RUEHPB/AMEMBASSY PORT MORESBY PRIORITY 1127
RUEHWL/AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON PRIORITY 1319
RUEHNZ/AMCONSUL AUCKLAND PRIORITY 0339
RUEHDN/AMCONSUL SYDNEY PRIORITY 0745
RHMFISS/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY
RHHMUNA/HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI PRIORITY
RHHJJAA/JICPAC HONOLULU HI PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 SUVA 000067 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/26/2017 
TAGS: PREL MARR PHUM ASEC CASC CVIS IQ FJ
SUBJECT: FIJI FOREIGN SECRETARY DISCUSSES ROAD MAPS, CHINA, 
IRAQ, ETC. 
 
REF: A. SUVA 59 
     ¶B. SUVA 53 (AND PREVIOUS) 
 
Classified By: Amb. Dinger.  Sec. 1.4 (B,D). 
 
Summary 
------- 
¶1. (C) On Jan. 26, Fiji interim Secretary for Foreign Affairs 
Mataitoga described to us the interim government's plan for 
responding to concerns about post-coup human rights and about 
a road map back to democratic elections, issues bound to be 
raised by a Pacific Islands Forum Eminent Persons Group 
(PIF/EPG) that visits Suva next week.  He acknowledged the 
military's future role in Fiji must also be thought through. 
Mataitoga raised China's influence in the Pacific.  When 
asked, he said Chinese concessional economic assistance is 
very difficult to obtain.  He expressed no knowledge of any 
requests for new PRC military aid.  Mataitoga said the 
reality is that Australia and New Zealand are Fiji's 
essential economic partners, thus interim PM Bainimarama has 
backed away from his threat to "retaliate" against those 
neighbors for their visa-sanction policies.  Mataitoga asked 
for a softening of the U.S. public announcement on Fiji's 
security situation.  Finally, he asked if a Fiji military 
interest in participating in MNFI is "still standing."  Our 
comment notes that the situation in Fiji has changed 
significantly since a year ago when Commodore Bainimarama 
raised the issue of an Iraq deployment with the Coalition. 
From the perspective of not rewarding a coup, we prefer not 
to respond positively.  Since other interests are involved, 
we seek Washington guidance.  End summary. 
 
Finding the way back to normalcy for Fiji: PIF/EPG 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
¶2. (C) Fiji interim Secretary for Foreign Affairs Isikele 
Mataitoga sought a meeting with the Ambassador on Jan. 26. 
He had a lengthy agenda which began with discussion of ways 
in which Fiji might find its way "back to where we want to 
be" with the rest of the world, post coup.  Mataitoga noted 
that the PIF/EPG, due to arrive in Suva on Monday, Jan. 29, 
is to meet with President Iloilo, interim PM Bainimarama, and 
at least seven interim ministers.  In preparation, MFA is 
working with other ministries to prepare responses to the 
international-community's list of complaints. 
 
Human rights complaints 
----------------------- 
¶3. (C) On human rights abuses, Mataitoga is consulting with 
interim AG Sayed Khayyum on ways to have military concerns 
about "inciteful" speech channeled to the police and courts 
rather than to the Army barracks.  When we noted that, thus 
far, it appears RFMF leadership, still in control, has not 
accepted the AG's advice on the topic, Mataitoga moved on. 
 
Elections road map 
------------------ 
¶4. (C) On developing a road map to elections, Mataitoga noted 
reports that the interim government might last 5 years or 
longer.  He believes the length can be shortened; shorter 
periods from coup to election have been possible in the past. 
 Still, Fiji will argue that the necessary census (the first 
in 11 years), the redraft of electoral boundaries, and 
improvements to electoral systems will take some time.  Fiji 
wants to engage with Australia and New Zealand on resuming 
assistance for electoral reforms.  Mataitoga's aim is for the 
PIF/EPG process to bless concepts that can then be the basis 
for an interim Cabinet commitment to a clear time table. 
 
EU discussions, too 
------------------- 
¶5. (C) Mataitoga noted that another crucial dialogue will be 
with the EU.  Post-coup discussions mandated by the Cotonou 
Agreement regarding the EU's aid package, including a major 
plan for sugar reform, are likely to start in Brussels in 
late February.  The issues of interest to the PIF/EPG are 
also issues for the EU. 
 
The military's future role? 
--------------------------- 
¶6. (C) We noted that we have no Washington guidance on road 
maps as yet, but it strikes us another important topic is the 
military's role in Fiji.  It is certainly possible that fair 
 
SUVA 00000067  002 OF 003 
 
 
elections would bring a return of either an SDL government 
(deposed by the RFMF in 2006) or an FLP government (deposed 
with help of elements of the RFMF in 2000).  What can be done 
to encourage the military to return permanently to the 
barracks?  Mataitoga said he has been pondering the question 
of the military's role and is thinking that, maybe, Fiji's 
Constitution must include a formal role for the military in 
the political process. 
 
China's expanding role? 
----------------------- 
¶7. (C) Mataitoga turned the topic to China, recalling 
stimulating conversations at an Asia Pacific Center for 
Security Studies seminar he attended a year and a half ago 
that raised concerns about China's future role in the 
Pacific.  We noted Bainimarama's announcements that, given 
Western intransigence on sanctions, Fiji would "look north" 
to China, India, Indonesia, and Malaysia for both trade and 
aid.  Mataitoga said the trade delegation to China was in the 
works pre-coup.  He indicated no knowledge of any military 
aid requests.  On economic aid, he said China is "getting 
smarter."  He recalled Premier Wen's offer last April of 
F$600 million for the Pacific; however, it has turned out the 
interest-concessionality conditions are extremely tough.  Of 
all Pacific nations, Fiji is the most able fiscally, and even 
Fiji considers the terms too difficult.  Mataitoga mentioned 
that agriculture-related talks with Indonesia are going ahead 
in February. 
 
Australia and New Zealand are the reality 
----------------------------------------- 
¶8. (C) In Mataitoga's practical view, the "reality" is that 
most of Fiji's trade and investment inevitably must take 
place with Australia and New Zealand.  Thus, Bainimarama's 
implied threat a few days ago that Fiji would "retaliate" 
against the Aussies and Kiwis on the trade front in response 
to the imposition of visa sanctions was a worry.  Mataitoga 
said he and others worked to turn the threat off. 
(Bainimarama told the media Jan. 25 that he now does not 
intend to interfere with trade.)  The need remains, though, 
to find ways to work through issues with Australia and New 
Zealand, and Mataitoga sees signs of a willingness to "retain 
dialogue" on a host of working-level issues.  He noted a 
proposal we had been briefed on by the Kiwis (ref B) for 
bilateral discussions to resolve a continental-shelf boundary 
dispute.  Mataitoga said the meeting may take place in 
Wellington next month.  He hopes that can lead to the 
Australian and New Zealand travel bans being lifted for such 
kinds of working-level talks. 
 
The U.S. public announcement 
---------------------------- 
¶9. (C) Mataitoga raised the U.S. public announcement to the 
American public about the security situation in Fiji, saying 
an American investor in the tourism sector is having trouble 
obtaining travel insurance to come to Suva to wrap up 
negotiations on a project.  We noted the overriding 
importance of accurately informing Amcits on safety issues 
and observed that even the RFMF is still saying publicly that 
conditions remain unstable. 
 
Visas for ex-RFMF security-firm employees 
----------------------------------------- 
¶10. (C) Mataitoga noted that many ex-RFMF soldiers have 
joined international security firms.  He asked if U.S. visa 
sanctions because of the coup would affect the ex-soldiers' 
ability to obtain visas to the U.S.?  We responded that final 
judgments are still pending about the total scope of visa 
sanctions, but our impression is that ex-RFMF soldiers who 
departed the Army well before the coup are not likely to be 
covered by the new visa sanctions. 
 
Any U.S. interest in RFMF participation in MNFI? 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
¶11. (C) Finally, Mataitoga asked if the RFMF's expression of 
interest in joining the Coalition of the Willing in Iraq is 
"still standing"?  He said, "If so, please let me know."  We 
responded that we do not know the answer since, obviously, 
circumstances have changed from a year ago when Commodore 
Bainimarama initially expressed interest.  We agreed to pass 
the inquiry to Washington. 
 
 
SUVA 00000067  003 OF 003 
 
 
Comment 
------- 
¶12. (C) Mataitoga is a clever operator who is working closely 
with his new bosses in the interim government to attempt to 
normalize Fiji's relations with the Western world ASAP.  We 
seek Washington guidance on how to respond to the 
Iraq-deployment query.  When Bainimarama first raised the 
issue a year ago, he was just back from a visit to Baghdad, 
and he wanted his "boys" to have more action than the 
static-guard functions RFMF troops have been undertaking with 
UNAMI.  The Qarase Government was not inclined to humor 
Bainimarama, and the query stayed in an "in box."  From the 
perspective of the USG interest in not rewarding a coup, we 
would prefer not to accept any interim-government expression 
of interest in joining MNFI.  We do recognize other interests 
are at play, and Washington will have to judge what response, 
if any, we should provide Mataitoga.  Please advise. 
DINGER