Reeves urges rethink of foreign policy on Fiji
Former Governor General Sir Paul Reeves -- who helped rewrite Fiji's constitution -- has called for a rethink on New Zealand's foreign policy over Fiji, including the controversial sanctions.
Sir Paul told a Pacific policy conference in Auckland that Fiji needed incentives, rather than punishment, to move to democracy, Radio NZ International reported.
The sanctions against Fiji were not working and did not affect the military, he told the conference at Auckland University,
Foreign policy needed to offer a range of incentives and encourage the military government to "engage".
Coup leader Commodore Frank Bainimarama had stated he wanted democracy, so he must be asked what help he needed.
Dr Rod Alley of the Centre for Strategic Studies separately said there was no point in the Government trying to speak directly to Cdre Bainimarama.
Dr Alley said Sir Paul Reeves' meeting with Cdre Bainimarama showed any discussions with him were unlikely to result in a start to dialogue within Fiji, and a more subtle approach was needed.
"The man's conduct lately has been pretty obdurate and these options of somehow getting a line to Bainimarama are going to take patience."
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Comments
Fiji
have lived there...know the people...
The USA style sanctions in the Pacific wont work...its an easy cop out for Governments and weak foreign policy responses...how would we react if Fiji invited China to put a military base there???
Wake up ....find a win/win outcome...exercise the grey matters...Reeves is right...engagement as equals has at least a chance...NZ must lead..thenAussies are crap in the Pacific...far too racisit.
Not the way to go
I am afraid that New Zealand isn't going to make much progress with this attitude, irrespective of how the "commonwealth" ( which apart from a few countries, is a total joke!) see things.The unintended consequences could mean China obtains a little cost an excellent entre into a seriously valuable strategic presence. Once in, New Zealand and Australia will lose any remaining influence. Regarding the "commonwealth", they have never achieved anything worth reporting, except for political jaunts in exotic locations.
Fiji
At last some sense being talked. Attempting to push Mr Bainimarama around was never going to work and the end result would be the friendly Chinese offering Fiji a half billion dollar development grant then establishing a naval base on one of the many beautiful Fijian islands.
fiji
we should just leave fiji alone and stop being bully boy
Fiji
Duncan Hamilton
Some of the sanctions are not only stupid but are preventing able people in Fiji giving any help to the administration because they have relatives in NZ and would cut themselves out from being able to visit them - what is the point other than that they are being replaced by People with no background other than maybe a military one.
Nz has always been well known in the South Pacific for a willingness to understand the South Pacific soft approach (the Pacific way) irritating though it may sometimes be. Currently we are behaving like our cousins across the Tasman of the we know best bully brigade and surprisingly this was all started by Winston Peters when he was Foreign minister outside the cabinet in the Labour covernment..
As Sir Paul Reeves says we are achieving nothing at present and it is time for a new approach. With his background he could well be the man to get things moving, possibly with our new Head of foreign affairs.
If we don't do something soon we may live to regret it as another correspondent has mentioned.
Forever Fiji
People of New Zealand, why is your government so out of step with your wishes?
Whatever you want to say about China, they at least understand a history of being brutalized by imperialism.
Every country pursues foreign policy to advance their own interest. The Chinese are no different. But, at least they will give to Fiji a much larger share of the pie than either Oz or Kiwi are willing to do.
Fiji has suffered under the domination of these two countries. Face it, we are in a watershed moment where Bainimarama is pulling Fiji out from under the boots of the white imperialist masters and into the warm embrace of our panda brothers to the north.
You have your opinions... all I can say is IT'S ABOUT TIME!
If NZ can support and even
If NZ can support and even send her soldiers to fight for a corrupted Government in Afghanistan, I do not see why the Fijian one is ignored?
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