VZCZCXRO9830
RR RUEHAP RUEHDT RUEHNZ RUEHPB
DE RUEHWL #0241/01 2110548
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 300550Z JUL 09
FM AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0081
INFO ASEAN REGIONAL FORUM COLLECTIVE
RUEHAP/AMEMBASSY APIA 0011
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 0025
RUEHDN/AMCONSUL SYDNEY 0026
RUEHNZ/AMCONSUL AUCKLAND 0023
RUEHSV/AMEMBASSY SUVA 0008
RUEHWL/AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 WELLINGTON 000241 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
STATE FOR STATE FOR EAP/ANP 
PACOM FOR J01E/J2/J233/J5/SJFHQ 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV KDEM PREL NZ
SUBJECT: NZ GOVT BRIEF DIPLOMATS AHEAD OF PIF MEETING 
 
REF: WELLINGTON 117 
 
¶1. (SBU)  Summary.  Embassy Officers attended a July 27 briefing to 
diplomats by the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade 
(MFAT) on the August 5-6 Pacific Island Forum Leaders' Meeting in 
Cairns, Australia.  It was announced at the briefing that Prime 
Minister John Key will lead the New Zealand delegation.  MFAT also 
talked about the planned schedule of events and the issues that it 
anticipates will be discussed.  The dominant issue is expected to be 
the global economic crisis and its impact on PIF members.  MFAT 
announced that a study jointly-commissioned by the New Zealand and 
Australian governments on the impact of this crisis on PIF member 
economies will soon be published.  Though the situation in Fiji 
remains of clear concern to NZ, it appears that it will not featured 
as prominently at the Cairns meeting as it has been in recent PIF 
gatherings.  End Summary. 
 
 
Briefing on Upcoming PIF Leaders Meeting 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU)  On July 27, Political Officer and Political Assistant 
joined other members of Wellington's diplomatic corps at an MFAT 
briefing on the August 5-6 Pacific Island Forum Leaders' meeting in 
Cairns, Australia.   The purpose of the briefing was to inform 
resident diplomatic missions as to the composition of the official NZ 
delegation, the planned sequence of events and the anticipated agenda 
items up for discussion. 
 
High-Powered NZ Delegation to Cairns Meeting 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
¶3. (SBU)  The briefing was led by John Adank, Director of MFAT's 
Pacific Division, who began by announcing that Prime Minister John 
Key will lead the NZ delegation and will be accompanied by his 
Foreign Minister, Murray McCully.  Senior MFAT officials on the 
delegation will be Deputy Secretary Chris Seed, Craig Hawke, Director 
of the New Zealand Agency for International Development's (NZAID) 
Pacific Group, and Adank himself. 
 
Schedule of Events 
------------------ 
 
¶4. (SBU)  Adank ran through the schedule of meeting-related events 
starting with the August 3 conference in Brisbane on the global 
economic crisis hosted by the Lowy Institute.  Adank noted the 
Foreign Minister McCully will attend this conference.  On August 4, a 
meeting will be held for the PIF's Small Island States Group before 
the plenary session the following day.  Adank emphasized the 
importance of the August 6 PIF Leaders' Retreat where the leaders 
will retire behind closed-doors to discuss issues without their 
officials present.  The PIF Leaders' meeting will culminate with a 
signed joint-communique issued on August 6.  Adank also stressed the 
importance of the Post-Forum Dialogue Partners' Meeting, also in 
Cairns, in establishing an agreed roadmap based in the meeting's 
outcomes. 
 
Economic Crisis Expected to Lead Discussions 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
¶5. (SBU)  Adank identified several themes that GNZ expect to be 
addressed at the Cairns meeting.  The challenge to PIF members posed 
by the global economic crisis was identified as the most critical 
issue to be addressed at the meeting.  Adank announced that a 
joint-Australia and New Zealand study on the crisis' impact on PIF 
member countries will be ready for release during the week of August 
¶3.  The study was commissioned by Prime Ministers John Key and Kevin 
Rudd in order to help inform discussion at the Cairns meeting on how 
best to deal with the crisis. 
 
¶6. (SBU)  Trade was mentioned as another likely key topic for 
discussion, particularly the status of regional trade integration. 
Another anticipated topic for discussion at the meeting itself, and 
at the Post-Forum Dialogue, was finding greater effectiveness in 
donor-partner coordination to help meet the challenges meted out by 
the global economic crisis. Discussions around the Regional 
Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI) and climate change, 
respectively, are also anticipated by Adank to be discussed at the 
Cairns retreat. 
 
Fiji Problem Takes a Step Back? 
 
WELLINGTON 00000241  002 OF 002 
 
 
------------------------------- 
 
¶7. (SBU)  It does not appear that Fiji will figure as prominently in 
Cairns as it has in recent PIF meetings.  Nevertheless, Adank did 
state that that Fiji remains "a matter of significant concern" and 
will likely come up for discussion between PIF leaders.  He believed 
that Fiji has regressed in many areas since the 2008 Port Moresby PIF 
meeting and cited as an example the April 2009 abrogation of Fiji's 
constitution by the nation's Head of State, Ratu Josefa Iloilo. 
Adank was asked by a foreign diplomat how the PIF may respond to 
Tongan Prime Minister Sevele's May 2009 suggestion that Fiji be given 
more time to correct its internal governance problems (see reftel). 
Adank reminded the audience of diplomats that the PIF cannot impose a 
solution: "it's for Fiji's own internal stakeholders to allow a 
solution to be develop", he stated.  Adank did note that there was 
"considerable frustration" from PIF leaders that the Fiji has not 
positively progressed as anticipated. 
 
Australian Diplomat - Rudd's High Expectations 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
¶8. (SBU)  The briefing concluded with a comment by Sonja Weinberg 
from the Australian High Commission who stated that her Government 
looks forward to a number of "concrete outcomes" from the meeting. 
Weinberg underscored that Australian PM Rudd's desire for a 
productive Leaders' meeting is reflected in the fact that his 
Government's delegation at the plenary and the Post-Form Dialogue 
will be of the highest-level possible, as will New Zealand's. 
 
¶9. (SBU) Comment:  It was clear that GNZ wanted to stress the 
importance it places on the upcoming PIF Leaders' Meeting in Cairns. 
Adank stated three times during the briefing that NZ's PM and Foreign 
Minister would attend, a clear signal to other member nations that 
they should do likewise.  The fact that Fiji was brought up as the 
third agenda item signals a potential shift in PIF priorities.  End 
Comment. 
SEMILOTA