Fijian Prime Minister arrives in Wellington to meet Bainimarama
Fijian Prime Minister, Laisenia Qarase has arrived in New Zealand to meet with military leader Commodore Frank Bainimarama who has repeatedly threatened to bring down Fiji’s elected government.
Qarase and Bainimarama will discuss the crisis at Government House in Wellington on Wednesday to attempt to avert what could be the fourth coup in the South Pacific nation in 20 years.
Qarase told Reuters, “The discussions are to find a solution for the betterment of the country and to put an end to the impasse,” having already told Radio Tarana that he believes the talks will avert disaster and the threat of any coup, with Bainimarama telling the same station that the meeting will be very short, as he only wants one answer.
Bainimarama has been at his daughter’s home in Wellington celebrating a christening and had been expected to return to Fiji on Tuesday, amongst rumours and reports that he would be arrested for sedition in either NZ or on his arrival in Fiji, with his arrest being the spark for the coup.
There are also reports that Fijian police tried unsuccessfully to have Bainimarama arrested in New Zealand over the weekend, but despite a request made through Interpol, New Zealand police refused to take action, with NZ Prime Minister Helen Clark confirming that Fijian police have been in New Zealand seeking Bainimarama’s arrest, but that the NZ Government has assured him that he is not at risk of arrest in NZ.
Qarase says he has always been ready to meet directly with Bainimarama and to do so with an open mind and says he is grateful to the government of New Zealand for arranging and facilitating the talks, with Foreign Minister Winston Peters mediating the meeting, adamant all steps must be taken to avert any chance of another coup.
Peters says getting a resolution is unlikely to be easy, but the effort has to be made, adding that New Zealand would want to go to the ends of the earth to try and see a peaceful resolution for a country for which deep affection is held.
It is understood that Clark has been talking with both Bainimarama and Qarase trying to broker a deal, with Clark saying that the New Zealand Government’s efforts over the past few days have been directed towards encouraging direct dialogue between the Fijian government and military, adding that the nature of any outcome from the meeting is up to the two parties, however the immediate economic and social future of Fiji depends on the result.
News of the New Zealand-brokered talks came only hours before Bainimarama was due to return to Fiji amid fears that a coup would be launched within days, with small groups of armed soldiers patrolling the streets of Suva on Monday, while others dressed in camouflage uniforms guarded the president’s residence and hundreds of army reservists recalled for unscheduled exercises.
Report by The Mole
John Alwyn-Jones
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