Ministerial Statements — Fiji—High Commissioner for New Zealand  
Ministerial Statements — Fiji—High Commissioner for New Zealand  
[Volume:639;Page:9887] 
Ministerial Statements 
Fiji—High Commissioner for New Zealand  
Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS (Minister of Foreign Affairs) 
: 
 I seek to move a ministerial statement as per Standing Order 348 in relation to the current situation in Fiji. I would like to inform the House that the High Commissioner for New Zealand in Fiji Michael Green has been declared persona non grata by Fiji’s interim Government. The New Zealand Government deplores this action. Expelling diplomats is not the way for neighbours to conduct their relationship. Mike Green is a highly respected senior diplomat of over 30 years’ standing and a man of great integrity. He enjoys the full confidence of our Government and we are not aware of any activities that he has undertaken that justify Fiji’s actions. He has in the course of his duties drawn attention to New Zealand’s policy in the wake of the coup. That is the role of a diplomat and he has not said anything other than what the Prime Minister and I have been saying. 
Declaring a high commissioner persona non grata is a very grave act for a country to take. It is just one step below breaking relations. There will be undoubtedly consequences for Fiji as this action will be viewed very seriously not only by us but also by Fiji’s other international partners including Pacific Island nations Australia the United States and the European Union. 
I have been in contact with the interim Government in Fiji in an effort to work the issue through and to urge it to reflect further. Unfortunately it seems it is going ahead with this completely unjustifiable action. I note that the interim regime has also made the highly inappropriate suggestion that if New Zealand itself terminated Mr Green’s assignment and lifted the travel ban against those involved in the coup the interim regime in return would suspend its actions. This is totally unacceptable. This is not a style of diplomacy that New Zealanders understand. It speaks volumes about those currently in charge in Fiji. 
We will now consider our options and the regime can expect a strong reaction. The Government will be undertaking a full review of all aspects of the bilateral relationship and in such circumstances it is difficult to see how we can be expected to show flexibility on issues such as the visa ban. 
Fiji’s action is particularly troubling given that Suva is host to a number of important regional institutions including the Pacific Islands Forum secretariat and the high commissioners and ambassadors accredited to Fiji are the senior country representatives to those institutions. The timing of Fiji’s action is puzzling given New Zealand had acknowledged the recent lifting of emergency regulations as a positive step and the Pacific Islands Forum joint working-group appeared to have made progress on an acceptable timetable for elections. New Zealand remains committed to the pathway put forward by the forum for a return to democracy in Fiji and will continue to participate in joint working-group discussions on this issue in which Mr Green has hitherto played an active and constructive role. 
Hon MURRAY McCULLY (National—East Coast Bays) 
: 
 The National Party joins the Government in expressing alarm at the most recent developments in Fiji. The actions of the interim Government in directing the removal of the New Zealand high commissioner are serious and invite a strong and resolute response from this country. It is as the Minister has said unfortunate that these developments should occur at a time when there was at least a prospect of progress following the work of the joint working-group which indicated that the machinery could be put in place for fresh elections in Fiji as early as late 2008. The international community and the civic forum and the Commonwealth in particular have been seeking some sort of signal from Fiji that a way forward could be found. But over recent days we have seen events take a turn very much for the worse. 
From the outset of these difficulties in Fiji the National Party has supported the Government in warning the Fiji military about the consequences of any coup action and then supported the Government in imposing sanctions. It is not yet clear to us what immediate steps will be taken in relation to today’s developments—suffice to say that we will approach that matter in the same bipartisan manner that has been the case so far. 
The actions of the interim Fiji Prime Minister today are ill-judged and very much counter to the interests of his country. The great tragedy of recent developments in Fiji is that a great many people who already live in circumstances of great hardship will needlessly suffer even greater hardship as a consequence of the actions of their current leaders. 
It would not be productive for me to canvass in this Parliament or indeed even to offer commentary on the various steps currently open to the New Zealand Government—suffice to say that we expect and will fully support firm resolute action. Over recent months we have seen an overt challenge to the rule of law in Fiji. Today we see an overt challenge to the standards and norms of behaviour by which we do business with our Pacific neighbours. We very much regret these developments and we look to the Government to make a full and appropriate response. 
KEITH LOCKE (Green) 
: 
 The Green Party endorses the Government’s strong response to the expulsion of our high commissioner and I think we should take it as a sign of desperation from the Bainimarama Government not a sign of strength. As the Minister of Foreign Affairs indicated the Government is under pressure. It withdrew the emergency regulations and I think that we have to be careful not just to respond as a nation that has been slighted but to see the expulsion of our high commissioner as an attack on all of those countries that have been supporting the return to democracy in Fiji. We are just the country at the sharp end and we are taking the brunt in this instance. 
I think we have to work cooperatively with other nations in the Pacific Australia Europe etc. to put more pressure on the Bainimarama Government to return quickly to democracy and not to go down this path of greater confrontation. We have to think carefully about what extra measures we take and consider those in such a way that we do not introduce sanctions that will affect the ordinary people of Fiji. It is the ordinary people of Fiji the democratic forces in Fiji that are part of the solution—part of hastening the end of the Bainimarama regime. We need to work very effectively with all the democratic forces in Fiji today. Thank you. 
Hon PETER DUNNE (Leader—United Future) 
: 
 United Future joins with other parties in expressing shock horror and condemnation at the decision of the Government of Fiji to declare our high commissioner Mr Green persona non grata—particularly after a period of time where it appeared as though there may have been the prospect of some progress towards the restoration of democratic rule in Fiji. 
Today’s developments come as a blunt and considerable surprise. New Zealand has very close ties with Fiji borne over a number of years of communication on a range of issues. It is important now that in considering our response we act in a way that is consistent with our long historical links between the two countries. The Fijian community in New Zealand would expect no less; nor I suspect would the New Zealand community in Fiji. 
I would hope that although New Zealand does take a strong and determined stance in relation to this decision today by Fiji’s interim Government we do not give credibility to the decision by indulging in a tit-for-tat reaction with regard to the Fiji High Commissioner in New Zealand. I think that the relationships between the two countries and our ongoing interests for a stable Pacific region are frankly too great for us to allow that to happen. 
So like others I support the actions of our Government to date. I urge a firm but cautious response in the time ahead and I am sure I speak for all members of Parliament in terms of our commitment to a restoration of a flourishing democracy in Fiji. 
Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS (Minister of Foreign Affairs) 
: 
 I want to thank parliamentary colleagues and spokespeople for their support of the Government’s actions. I agree with the sentiments of the speakers today and the Government is grateful for the action in unison that we believe is predicted by those words. I just want to say to Mr Dunne that we quite understand his point and we will not behave in a tit-for-tat manner in respect of the Fijian High Commission in Wellington. That is not our record or our style nor does it befit a leading First World democracy like New Zealand’s. We bear in mind that it is after all the relations between the people of Fiji and the people of New Zealand that are at stake here. We have to keep that in mind as we seek to restore the situation and as we deal sadly with a Government—or a regime—that was born out of the barrel of a gun.