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RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS

C O N F I D E N T I A L WELLINGTON 000055 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/27/2026 
TAGS: PREL PGOV FJ NZ
SUBJECT: NEW ZEALAND FOREIGN MINISTER INSISTS COMMONWEALTH 
HOLD THE LINE ON FIJI 
 
Classified By: Embassy Wellington CDA David J. Keegan. Reasons E.O. 129 
58, 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
¶1. (C) Charge met with Foreign Minister Murray McCully 
February 26 at his request. McCully said that he is departing 
over the weekend for London to participate in the 
Commonwealth Meeting on Fiji. He explained that Papua New 
Guinea Foreign Minister Samuel Abal and himself would be the 
two Pacific participants in the meeting. He added that the 
PNG FM would be a strong voice at the meeting and would be 
"less mercurial" than PNG Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare. 
 
¶2. (C) Two years after the Commonwealth suspended Fiji in 
response to Commodore Frank Bainimarama's coup, McCully said, 
the Commonwealth meeting should move to take further steps on 
Fiji as its rules call for. When McCully spoke to Abal 
recently by phone, Abal said that his position on the matter 
was equally clear: "two years is two years is two years." The 
Commonwealth should also show that it is prepared to defer to 
the Pacific Island Forum (PIF), which has spoken clearly on 
Fiji. McCully rejected claims that the PIF and its posture on 
Fiji are being directed by Australia and New Zealand. He 
noted that the outspoken comments earlier in the week by 
Samoa Prime Minister Tuilaepa Lupesoliai Aiono Sailele 
Malielegoai, subsequently endorsed by Tonga PM Feleti Sevele, 
provided clear evidence that the Pacific Island Countries 
themselves were strongly concerned about Fiji. The only 
exceptions, McCully suggested, might be Tuvalu and Kiribati. 
Otherwise he was confident that the PIF would hold solidly to 
its commitme 
nt to suspend Fiji in May. He added, however, that MFAT 
officials were less confident on this score than he was. 
 
¶3. (C) McCully said that New Zealand remained committed to 
being helpful to Fiji, and the government will avoid any 
public confrontations, but he said he saw no evidence that 
Fiji interim leader Frank Bainimarama had any inclination to 
accept such help. Nor would he be influenced by any change in 
the sanctions against him. Bainimarama has no interest under 
current conditions in moving toward democracy or in stepping 
down from his position of leadership in Fiji. He has "settled 
in for the long haul." If the Pacific Island Forum, the 
Commonwealth, or others reduce sanctions against the regime, 
Bainimarama will pocket the "victory." After the Commonwealth 
meeting, the next landmark would be the PIF meeting in May. 
Fiji needs to listen, McCully said, but he confessed he was 
not optimistic. 
KEEGAN