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| Down Under |
| Fiji military warns Australia, Britain & US |
| 2006-11-28 |
| FIJI'S military yesterday warned Australia, Britain and the US not to interfere in its plans to "clean up" the Fijian Government. The warning came after a visit by top diplomats from the three countries to Suva's main barracks marred attempts by New Zealand to broker 11th-hour talks to head off a possible coup. The diplomatic manoeuvring yesterday also included a bid by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan to threaten the Fijian military with expulsion from peacekeeping operations - a source of national pride and valuable foreign currency for the nation, which has nearly a quarter of a million people living in poverty. The attempt by the top Australian, US and British diplomats in Suva to hold talks with senior military commanders in the absence of military chief Frank Bainimarama resulted in an angry rebuke from the Fijian military - but may have exposed a potential rift in their leadership. Royal Fiji Military Force spokesman Major Neumi Leweni released a statement late yesterday saying that the "inappropriate" visit by diplomatic heads of the three missions, including Australian high commissioner Jennifer Rawson, could incite the situation and was viewed as an invasion. Major Leweni revealed that the military call-up of 3000 reservists at the weekend was not only to aid Commodore Bainimarama's plans for the Government but also to prepare for "any" foreign intervention that might be recommended by a meeting of Pacific Islands Forum foreign ministers in Sydney on Friday. "We have indicated in the past that the RFMF will strongly oppose any foreign intervention and this recall is an indication of how serious the institution is, and will prevent any such attempt," Major Leweni said. However, the meeting appears to have exposed divisions in the military leadership in Fiji, with the diplomats reporting that the second and third in command of the Fijian forces had disagreed with their commander's views about the military's role in Fiji. The diplomats sought and received assurances from deputy Fijian military commander Captain Esali Teleni and Land Force commander Colonel Pita Driti that they agreed with the three countries' views about the subordinate role of the military in a democracy. Fijian Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase raised the stakes for Fijian forces yesterday when he revealed that Mr Annan had telephoned him and said he would warn Commodore Bainimarama that if the military took control, they would be forced to withdraw from peacekeeping operations. In Wellington today, New Zealand's Foreign Minister Winston Peters will broker talks between the country's warring military chief, Prime Minister and police commissioner. Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, who continues to warn of an imminent coup in Fiji, welcomed confirmation of the talks. Australia had also been an active player in trying to bring both sides together, he said. "I think the New Zealanders have been enormously helpful in using the opportunity of Commodore Bainimarama being in New Zealand for a christening to get in touch with him to try and find a solution to this problem." Mr Downer denied that the Wellington talks would upstage his own plans to host a Pacific foreign ministers meeting this week. Mr Qarase flew out of Nausori airport, near Suva, yesterday afternoon, accompanied by the nation's Australian police chief, Andrew Hughes, on their way to meet a Royal New Zealand Air Force plane in Nadi for the flight to Wellington. Commodore Bainimarama told a Fijian radio station afterwards that it would be a short meeting and that he would not give in on any of his demands despite agreeing to stay in New Zealand for the meeting. Mr Hughes stood firm on his investigation of the commander yesterday. He warned Fijian Director of Public Prosecutions Josaia Naigulevu that it would be a "weak" decision if he gave in to pressure not to recommend sedition charges against Commodore Bainimarama. |
| Posted by:Oztralian |
| #3 Why does Fiji have a military. Does Fiji even have enemies outside of its own army? |
| Posted by: Laurence of the Rats 2006-11-28 19:36 |
| #2 It's about time someone re-colonized Fiji. They seem incapable of governing themselves without yearly coups. |
| Posted by: rjschwarz 2006-11-28 12:10 |
| #1 Did they put their war canoes on Condition Two? |
| Posted by: AlmostAnonymous5839 2006-11-28 12:04 |