Australia will not lift the smart sanctions imposed on Fiji despite an assurance by Interim Prime Minister Commodore Frank Bainimarama that elections will be held by March 2009.
Our News Director Vijay Narayan spoke to Australian Foreign Minister Alexandra Downer in Nuku'alofa.
Vijay Narayan: Australian Foreign Minister Alexandra has stressed here in Tonga that the sanction against Fiji are working and be believes that this will force Fiji to call elections by March 2009.
Although Commodore Bainimarama has stressed that that he has given a firm commitment and there will be election by March 2009 and sanctions should be lifted, Downer thinks otherwise.
Downer: We have with New Zealand smart sanction which I think have been very pretty effective actually, I think that I’ve put a lot of pressure on Fiji. Australia and New Zealand are the kind of metropolitan power as they like to say at this forum of the South Pacific and not being able to visit Sydney, Auckland, Christchurch or Adelaide, it's obviously a great disadvantage.
So, I think that they have been affective but you know everything takes time in my experience. I just want to say this, I spoke to the European Commission representive here as well, I think that the EU has been very helpful, I want to say that, I think the EU and its insistence on sticking to the Cotonou Agreement, and making it clear to Fiji that the way forward in terms of aid from the EU includes a return to democracy, that's really helped because Fiji is very dependant not only on the excess to the EU market for its sugar industry but restructure funds from the EU.
Vijay Narayan: While speaking in Tonga, Downer has also said that the Pacific Island countries are also helping Australia and New Zealand to ensure that Fiji returns to democracy although there was an indication that other Pacific Island countries joined up with Commodore Bainimarama and stressed the need that other countries should respect the sovereignty of each state, Downer says each island country is making its own effort in its own way to help Fiji move forward.
Downer: Of course Australia and New Zealand have that leverage which other pacific island countries don't have, so we turn to pacific countries to help us in our encouragement of Fiji back to the path of democracy and they will do that in their own way
But what I think what Australia and New Zealand is doing is effective and I hope that the support of people like Sir Michael Somare in encouraging Commodore Bainimarama to return democracy will help as well, they do things in their own way and we don't lecture them on how they should handle that relationship.
Vijay Narayan: On the last day of Commodore Bainimarama's visit here in Tonga, he is expected to have more bilateral meetings, he met with representatives from Indonesia, India and China late yesterday afternoon and he is expected to reveal details of the bilateral meetings later today.
Also at 4:30 this afternoon, he travels to Tefaiva stadium to watch the rugby league match between the Fiji Bati and Tonga.
Sanctions won’t be lifted
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