VZCZCXRO0515
PP RUEHPB
DE RUEHLO #0580 0641139
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 051139Z MAR 09
FM AMEMBASSY LONDON
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1637
INFO RUEHWL/AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON PRIORITY 0272
RUEHSV/AMEMBASSY SUVA PRIORITY 0029
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA PRIORITY 0854
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS PRIORITY 3413
RUEHPB/AMEMBASSY PORT MORESBY PRIORITY 0033
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY
RHHMUNA/HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI PRIORITY
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L LONDON 000580 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/04/2019 
TAGS: PREL PGOV FJ NZ UK
SUBJECT: COMMONWEALTH ISSUES STRONG STATEMENT ON FIJI AFTER 
MINISTERIAL MEETING 
 
REF: WELLINGTON 55 
 
Classified By: Political Counselor Richard Mills, reasons 15. (b/d). 
 
¶1. (SBU) The Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) 
issued a strongly-worded statement following a March 4 
meeting in London, stating it "deplored" Fiji's 
"contravention" of the Commonwealth's democratic principles, 
non-adherence to previous Commonwealth calls to hold 
elections by March 2009, and the Interim Government's refusal 
to announce alternative election dates.  The CMAG, which is 
charged with determining punitive measures for member states 
that do not uphold the Commonwealth's democratic values, also 
decided that Fiji would be suspended from the Commonwealth at 
the CMAG's next meeting in September 2009 if it does not make 
sufficient progress consistent with the benchmarks set out in 
the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders' Communique.  The CMAG also 
expressed its support for the joint Commonwealth-UN 
mediation, reiterating that the process should be 
"independent, inclusive, time-bound, and without prejudice to 
outcome." 
 
¶2. (C) London-based New Zealand diplomat Jake Collins told 
poloff March 5 that New Zealand Foreign Minister McCully 
pressed for Fiji's "full and immediate suspension" at the 
March 4 CMAG meeting, in line with the Commonwealth's 
Millbank Principles that call for members' full suspension if 
no progress toward a return to democracy has been made two 
years after a coup.  (NOTE: Fiji's voting rights in the 
Commonwealth were suspended in December 2006 when the coup 
took place. END NOTE.)  Collins explained that some 
representatives at the CMAG meeting thought the Commonwealth 
should stay in line with the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), 
which in a January statement called for progress toward a 
return to democracy by May 1.  Collins said McCully pressed 
for a special CMAG meeting to convene shortly after the PIF 
deadline, but that some members preferred to take a final 
decision on Fiji's suspension at the regularly scheduled 
September CMAG meeting in New York on the margins of UNGA. 
Collins noted that the CMAG's statement did allow for another 
meeting before September, but he thought it was unlikely. 
Given Fiji military leader Voreqe Bainimarama's harsh 
criticism March 5 of the Commonwealth statement, Collins 
expected that Fiji's full suspension would come in September. 
 In the meantime, New Zealand continues to support the joint 
Commonwealth-UN mediation efforts. 
 
 
Visit London's Classified Website: 
http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Portal:Unit ed_Kingdom 
 
LEBARON