R 050751Z DEC 08
FM AMEMBASSY PORT MORESBY
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 5357
INFO HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI
CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI
JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC
AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 
AMEMBASSY SUVA 
AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON 
AMEMBASSY PORT MORESBY

C O N F I D E N T I A L PORT MORESBY 000241 
 
 
DEPT FOR EAP/EX, EAP/ANP 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL:  12/5/2018 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PP FJ
SUBJECT: BAINIMARAMA MEETS ONE-ON-ONE WITH SOMARE 
 
REF: SUVA 417 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: Leslie V. Rowe, Ambassador, U.S. Embassy Port 
Moresby, U.S. Department of State. 
REASON: 1.4 (b), (d) 
 
¶1. (C) Summary:  On December 5, the second anniversary of the 
coup in Fiji, Interim Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama met 
one-on-one with Prime Minister and Grand Chief Michael Somare in 
Port Moresby.  According to Foreign Minister Abal, Somare 
impressed upon Bainimarama the Pacific Islands Forum position 
that Fiji should hold elections in March 2009.  Bainimarama left 
in the afternoon en route to Solomon Islands for a similar 
meeting with Prime Minister Derek Sikua.  Bainimarama may be 
using these meetings to split Papua New Guinea and Solomon 
Islands off from the Forum position on Fiji.  End Summary. 
 
¶2. (C) Foreign Minister Sam Abal held a briefing on the December 
5 Somare-Bainimarama meeting for members of the diplomatic 
corps.  The High Commissioners from Australia, New Zealand, and 
Solomon Islands, the French Ambassador, representatives from the 
EU and the UK, and the Ambassador attended.  Abal said that PNG 
had asked Bainimarama to stop in Port Moresby as he transited 
back from Brussels.  He apologized that he was not present at 
the Somare meeting since Fiji requested that it be one-on-one. 
However, he spoke briefly to Somare who left shortly afterwards 
for Lae.  Somare said that he pressed the Forum position - March 
2009 elections for Fiji - with Bainimarama.  Somare told him 
that he should be working toward elections and should give the 
Forum an idea of the timeframe.  Bainimarama reportedly 
apologized to Somare for not attending the August Forum meeting 
in Niue. 
 
¶3. (C) MCG to Fiji Next Week:  Abal said that in addition to 
urging Bainimarama to move toward elections, Somare also offered 
PNG assistance in the electoral process.  Abal said that the 
Ministerial Contact Group (MCG) will meet with Bainimarama in 
Fiji on December 11 at 9:00 AM.  The MCG will also reiterate to 
Bainimarama the Forum's position on elections.  Abal has asked 
to call on Bainimarama on December 10 "to protect his Prime 
Minister."  This will be followed by the Leaders meeting which 
Prime Minister Somare will host on January 27 in Port Moresby. 
 
¶4. (C) Suspension Not an Idle Threat:  The Australian High 
Commissioner commented that the Forum's stand to suspend Fiji if 
it does not move toward democracy is not an idle threat.   He 
said that the possibility of suspension is serious and that Fiji 
could also be suspended from the Commonwealth.  He stressed that 
the Forum leaders, including PM Somare (demonstrated by his 
offer to host the January meeting) are serious.  He asked Abal 
what he thought the outcome of the MCG meeting might be.  Abal 
repeated that he had not attended Somare's meeting today and 
could not speculate on next week's meeting.  He said that the 
Ministers would make recommendations to the Forum afterwards. 
He commented that it is a very short timeframe between the MCG 
meeting and the January 27 Leaders meeting. 
 
¶5. (C) The Solomon Islands High Commissioner said that he had 
sent a message to Honiara saying that Somare had held to the 
Forum position and urged Prime Minister Sikua to do the same. 
He commented that it appeared that March elections in Fiji are 
unlikely and that "it would be an uphill battle for the MCG next 
week."  Abal responded that he views it as "an achievement that 
Bainimarama allowed the MCG to go to Fiji" next week.  The 
Ambassador asked if Bainimarama's meetings with the PNG and SI 
Prime Ministers and the MCG meeting might indicate any change in 
Bainimarama's thinking.  Abal said that the meetings represented 
the "Pacific way" of engaging in constant dialogue.  Abal also 
noted that Bainimarama had met with Louis Michel, the EU 
Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Assistance, on 
November 14 in Brussels.  He asked the French Ambassador and EU 
representative if they had any information on the meeting.  They 
responded that they had not been briefed. 
 
¶6. (C) Abal said that Bainimarama invited Pacific leaders for a 
reception during September's UNGA to apologize and explain why 
he had not come to the Forum meeting in Niue.  Abal said he told 
Bainimarama that the Grand Chief was unhappy with him. 
Bainimarama apologized but Abal told him he should come in 
person to apologize.  He also pushed Bainimarama to allow the 
MCG to meet in Fiji saying that he could not expect his actions 
to be viewed as legitimate by the Forum members if he would not 
allow the meeting.  Bainimarama retorted, "If you want 
legitimacy, wait for the court decisions." 
 
¶7. (C) View from Solomon Islands:  After the meeting, the 
Ambassador spoke to the Solomon Islands High Commissioner.  He 
said that he thought Bainimarama had come to PNG and SI to tell 
Fiji's side of the story, in the hope that he could split two 
prominent Prime Ministers off from the Forum position.  He sent 
the message to his Prime Minister to maintain the Forum position 
with Bainimarama because "divided we fall."  He said he saw 
Bainimarama off at the Port Moresby airport before he left for 
 
Honiara and that his attitude was "very military, confident and 
abrupt." 
 
¶8. (C) Comment:  On his stop in Port Moresby Bainimarama 
appeared to be confident about his position.  However, it 
doesn't appear that he persuaded either PM Somare in PNG or PM 
Sikua in Solomon Islands as he attempted to explain Fiji's side 
of the story.   It is unclear whether these stops, next week's 
MCG meeting in Fiji, or the Leaders' January meeting in Port 
Moresby will have much effect on Bainimarama -- or Fiji's return 
to democracy -- any time soon.  End Comment. 
 
 
ROWE