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DE RUEHWL #0751/01 2841900
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 111900Z OCT 07
FM AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4795
INFO RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA PRIORITY 4985
RUEHPB/AMEMBASSY PORT MORESBY PRIORITY 0694
RUEHSV/AMEMBASSY SUVA PRIORITY 0661

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 WELLINGTON 000751 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/ANP 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/11/2017 
TAGS: PREL KDEM NZ
SUBJECT: NEW ZEALAND'S PRIORITIES FOR UPCOMING PACIFIC 
ISLAND FORUM (PIF) MEETINGS 
 
 
Classified By: Pol/Econ Counselor Margaret McKean; Reasons 1.4 (b) and 
(d) 
 
¶1.  (C)  Summary.  The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and 
Trade's (MFAT) Pacific Division views Fiji's return to 
democracy, the status of RAMSI in the Solomon Islands, and 
support for the Regional Integrated Framework (RIF) as the 
GNZ's key issues for discussion at the PIF.  New Zealand 
worries that Fijian leader Frank Bainamarama, absent strong 
external pressure, will continue to delay elections and use 
his people's charter initiative to establish an alternative 
political process.  New Zealand is concerned about Solomon 
Island's PM Sogavare's absence from the PIF and the SI's lack 
of support for RAMSI; the GNZ worries that the SI may be more 
difficult an issue at the PIF than Fiji.  New Zealand 
maintains that the RIF is the best mechanism by which the 
goals of the Pacific Plan can be realized.  End Summary. 
 
Fiji, Solomons:  Both Problematic Issues 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶2.  (U)  On October 9, Pol/Econ Counselor met with John Adank 
of MFAT's Pacific Division to discuss GNZ priorities at the 
upcoming PIF meetings in Tonga.  Adank attended the senior 
officials meeting in Tonga in late September, and will be 
accompanying PM Clark to the PIF meetings in Tonga next week. 
 The GNZ delegation will consist of about 18 people, he said. 
 Three main issues will dominate the leaders' agenda at the 
meetings, he continued. 
 
¶3.  (C)  The primary issue remains Fiji and a return to 
democracy, said Adank.  The PIF will be the first time since 
December of last year that the Pacific Island leaders will 
have the opportunity to take stock of what the PIF has 
accomplished.  Much of the dynamic for how this issue is 
treated in Tonga will be determined by the makeup of the Fiji 
delegation sent to Tonga.  Adank discounted press stories 
claiming that PM Helen Clark will meet with Frank Bainamarama 
in Tonga, saying that it was "unlikely" that Clark would hold 
bilateral meetings with the Fiji military leader or any of 
his ministers.  Although Bainamarama has spoken publicly 
about coming to Tonga, Adank said that the sense at the 
senior officials meeting in Tonga two weeks ago was that 
Bainamarama might not show up.  Irrespective, New Zealand 
remains concerned that Bainamarama is not committed to 
carrying out the election timetable and may use his people's 
charter initiative to set up an alternative political 
process.  New Zealand recognizes that there are internal 
political fault lines (e.g., Fijian vs. Indian) within Fiji, 
but these must be handled by a legitimate government. 
Bainamarama, on the other hand, would rather address Fiji's 
internal divisions first but lacks the popular mandate and 
legitimacy that an elected government has to deal with 
national reconciliation and other problems. 
 
¶4.  (C)  Adank noted that the Solomon Islands continue to 
pose problems for both New Zealand and Australia; Adank said 
that the SI may be an even more difficult issue at the PIF 
than Fiji.  The SI government has indicated that Sogavare 
will not attend at the leadership level.  Foreign Minister 
Patterson Oti will come, but Sogavare's boycott will have a 
negative impact on discussions.  Of greatest concern to New 
Zealand is the SI government's lack of support for the 
Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI). 
Sogavare has been critical of RAMSI, despite a PIF-mandated 
review's conclusions that were in support of the assistance 
mission.  Although Australia has borne the largest share of 
the criticism, Adank said that the Solomon Islands was not 
paying due regard to the investment in RAMSI by other Pacific 
Island states and the PIF.  PM Clark has tried to call PM 
Sogavare but to no avail.  New Zealand believes that Papua 
New Guinea (PNG) will play an important role in how the PIF 
handles SI's complaints about RAMSI, offered Adank.  Adank 
explained that at the senior officials meeting in Tonga two 
weeks ago, the PNG High Commissioner from Suva made clear 
that he was very unhappy that the SI had abruptly canceled a 
consultation meeting on RAMSI.  New Zealand had hoped that 
the PIF would provide an unqualified endorsement of RAMSI, 
but without Sogavare's participation, it is unclear whether 
the meeting can discourage the PM from further attempts to 
undermine and discredit RAMSI. 
 
RIF -- Best Hope for the Pacific Plan to Succeed 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
¶5.  (C)  New Zealand will continue to press for acceptance of 
the Regional Integrated Framework (RIF) at the PIF, said 
Adank.  Senior officials at the planning meeting in Tonga did 
 
WELLINGTON 00000751  002 OF 002 
 
 
not reach consensus; however, the outstanding issues were 
identified and included in a letter.  The GNZ, continued 
Adank, believes that it should be possible to address the key 
issues (mostly surrounding fisheries), and recognizes there 
are entrenched interests among those island nations where 
various regional agencies (e.g., Samoan concern over the 
future of the South Pacific Regional Economic Program) are 
headquartered. 
 
¶6.  (C)  Adank said he understood USG concerns surrounding 
legal issues and possible budgetary increases.  Adank 
acknowledged that if the RIF were to go forward, there would 
be legal questions but that fact alone should not preclude 
its consideration.  There may have to be changes to some 
underlying treaties, but if doing so provides better regional 
coordination and delivery of services, then that should be 
the overriding consideration.  New Zealand, continued Adank, 
believes that the RIF is a way to re-organize resources and 
agencies into a more coherent whole.  The U.S. does not need 
to increase budgetary amounts unless it is the USG interest 
to do so, he affirmed. 
 
¶7.  (C)  Adank said that the only way the Pacific Plan is to 
have greater promise for success is to press forward with the 
RIF.  He urged the USG to support the initiative, 
underscoring that the issue was very important to New Zealand. 
 
KEEGAN