VZCZCXRO1171
PP RUEHAP RUEHKN RUEHKR RUEHMJ RUEHPB
DE RUEHSV #0441 3310006
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 270006Z NOV 09
FM AMEMBASSY SUVA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1555
INFO RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 2397
RUEHWL/AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON 0080
RUEHPB/AMEMBASSY PORT MORESBY 1818
RUEHMJ/AMEMBASSY MAJURO 0873
RUEHKN/AMEMBASSY KOLONIA 0445
RUEHKR/AMEMBASSY KOROR 0324
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 0273
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 0282
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 0258
RUEHAP/AMEMBASSY APIA 0371
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0538
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
RHHMUNA/HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RUWDQAA/CCGDFOURTEEN HONOLULU HI

UNCLAS SUVA 000441 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
FOR EAP DAS FRANKIE REED 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM CONS FJ
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR MCGANN MEETING WITH FIJI FM KUBUABOLA 
 
1) (SBU) On November 25, FM Kubuabola requested an urgent meeting at 
MFA.  Kubuabola was under instructions from strongman Bainimarama to 
meet with resident UN Security Council Permfive Ambassadors (U.S. 
France and China) and UK High Commissioner to discuss Fiji's reclama 
to UN U/SYG Lynn Pascoe's decision to deny Col. Driti's appointment 
as the next commander of Fiji's UNAMI contingent.  Kubuabola asked 
permission for RFMF Chief of Staff Col. Aziz to travel to New York 
for a meeting with Fiji's Permrep and Pascoe to challenge 
allegations regarding Driti's human rights abuses or other illegal 
activities related to the 2006 coup. Aziz did not have any role in 
the government overthrow and his rank would not otherwise prohibit 
travel to the U.S.  Aziz will submit his visa application on/about 
November 27. 
 
 
2)  (SBU)I told Kubuabola that the U.S. under its UN charter 
responsibilities would not deny a visa for Aziz noting that we 
regularly issued visas to Fijian officials, including RFMF, for 
meetings at UN Headquarters. However, I emphasized that visa 
issuance should not be seen as an endorsement of Driti and made 
clear it was Fiji that had to disprove the allegations. Moreover, it 
did not matter whether he personally committed an offense or 
commanded others to do so.  Kubuabola seemed unaware that Driti 
previously had been turned down for Iraq duty in 2008. 
 
3)  (SBU) Turning to other areas, Kubuabola said the Public 
emergency Regulations (PER) would be lifted by the end of December 
but asked that the U.S. not make any public statements until the 
Fiji government announcement.  I agreed.  Regarding a related issue, 
I also pointed out that holding a national dialogue on Fiji's 
political future limited to individuals and banning the SDL and 
other political parties would not be well received by the U.S. nor 
would it constitute a democratic practice.  Kubuabola acknowledged 
this announcement was Bainimarama's doing but hinted that his 
proclamation might not stand. 
 
4) (SBU) Kubuabola also revealed that NZ FM McCully planned to 
travel to Fiji in early January.  Kubuabola said he reached out to 
AUS FM Smith through Acting HC Sarah Robertson.  Smith apparently 
agreed in principle to a meeting but promised to get back to 
Kubuabola on the possibility of a January trilateral meeting. 
Kubuabola is working hard at being a friendly interlocutor but 
regularly gets undercut by the regime's actions.