Diplomatic Briefing
Your exclusive news aggregator handpicked daily!Archive for Fiji
Newsline: Fiji to open embassy in UAE
Fiji is to open an embassy in the United Arab Emirates in August. The interim foreign minister, Ratu Inoke Kubuabola, is in Abu Dhabi to identify suitable locations for the chancery and residences for the diplomats. Ratu Inoke says opening an embassy reflects the government’s wish to expand its relations beyond its traditional partners.
http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=68207
Newsline: Fiji PM opens embassy in Brazil
Prime Minister Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama opened Fiji’s first ever mission in Brasilia, the capital of Brazil. While opening the new embassy the Prime Minister said that international co-operation and engagement is critical to achieving global understanding and peace and should not only be confined to nations close to Fiji. He added that enhancing more global integration providesFijiwith more scope to address issues such as climate change and peacekeeping. In the past year, Fiji has opened up resident missions in Indonesia and South Africa. Fiji’s new ambassador to Brazil will be former Permanent Secretary of the Transport Ministry, Cama Tuiloma.
http://www.fijivillage.com/?mod=story&id=300911ee3479d7d23714f5c14c5cca
Newsline: Taiwan offers an official apology to Fiji
Taiwan apologized to Frances Ligalevu, Fiji’s representative to Taiwan, over a case of alleged sexual misconduct by a Taiwanese diplomat toward a Fijian female employee. James Tien, director-general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Department of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, said he had met Ligalevu and apologized on behalf of the ministry. Leon Liu, First Secretary of the Trade Mission of the Republic of China in the Republic of the Fiji Islands, who confessed in writing to sexually harassing an employee on two occasions, was given two demerits by the ministry and ordered to return home by Thursday next week. “I hope Frances Ligalevu will convey our apology to her government and people. This should be regarded as an isolated case as we [the mission] have been there for a long time and nothing like this has ever happened before,” Tien said. Ligalevu said this was an isolated case and she was aware that Liu had settled the case by paying a settlement to the female employee, Tien said. Representative to Fiji Victor Chin, who is alleged to have had an affair with a Japanese employee at the Japanese embassy in Fiji and using public funds to pay for dates, yesterday returned to Fiji to explain the case to the Fijian government. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Gao Jyh-peng accused Chin of using public funds to buy the Japanese employee a pearl necklace, which Chin denied, claiming it was a gift from Fijian politicians. Gao sued Chin for corruption and forgery.
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2011/07/01/2003507138
Newsline: Expelled Australian diplomat leaves Fiji
Australia’s Acting High Commissioner to Fiji has left the country, the second ambassador to be expelled by Fiji’s interim government in eight months. On Monday Fiji announced the expulsion of Sarah Roberts after accusing Australia of waging a campaign to discredit its interim government in the eyes of its Pacific neighbours. Fiji’s interim government says Ms Roberts, who is due to arrive in Melbourne later tonight, had plenty of warnings. Diplomats from around the world, including the US, Britain, Japan and the EU, were all extremely disappointed with Fiji’s decision and gathered to farewell her. Britain’s foreign office minister, Jeremy Browne, says the action will further increase Fiji’s isolation from the international community. Australia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Stephen Smith has dismissed suggestions from Fiji’s leader that Australia is interfering in his country’s internal affairs. Fiji’s interim prime minister, Commodore Frank Bainimarama, said the deteriorating relationship between the two countries means he may not hold elections in 2014. Fiji’s interim government is also in the process of organising its own rebel meeting of Pacific island leaders, to be called the Friends of Fiji meeting in Suva next week, excluding Australia, New Zealand and Vanuatu. Vanuatu cancelled the Melanesian Spearhead Group meeting which was to be held in Fiji next week, when he was to become chairman of the group. Fiji believes Australia was behind Vanuatu’s move to cancel the meeting .
Newsline: NZ, Fiji to reopen embassies
Fiji and New Zealand say they have cleared the way for diplomats to return to their embassies in Wellington and Suva, following a second round of talks in three weeks. Relations between the two countries have been strained since a military coup in Fiji three years ago and further deteriorated last year with the tit-for-tat expulsion of senior diplomats. However, New Zealand foreign minister Murray McCully described the latest talks, held in Fiji, as “fruitful and respectful”. McCully and Fiji foreign minister Inoke Kubuabola issued a statement saying they were committed “to maintaining their dialogue and to ensuring both countries had effective diplomatic representation in each country”. They confirmed Mere Tora had arrived in Wellington to be acting head of mission at the Fiji High Commission and Phillip Taula would arrive in Suva in early March to be New Zealand’s acting head of the embassy.
Newsline: New Zealand and Fiji move to improve diplomatic relations
New Zealand and Fiji have agreed to improve diplomatic relations, which have been strained since a military coup in the Pacific island state more than three years ago. New Zealand Foreign Minister Murray McCully said that in talks with his Fijian counterpart, Ratu Inoke Kubuabola, in Nadi, the two had agreed to accept another diplomat in each other’s capital and reached approval in principle to admit deputy heads-of-mission soon. Fiji has expelled three senior New Zealand diplomats since military strongman Commodore Frank Bainimarama took power from the elected government in a bloodless coup in December 2006. Bainimarama has ruled with emergency powers since last April when he sacked the country’s judges, abolished the constitution and introduced strict censorship of the press, radio and television. His refusal to hold fresh elections before 2014 has led to suspension of Fiji’s membership of the British Commonwealth of nations and the Pacific Islands Forum. New Zealand and Australia have imposed sanctions and the European Union has suspended aid. New Zealand Prime Minister John Key said on December 23 that he was seeking renewed engagement with Bainimarama, who threw out Wellington’s acting head of mission Todd Cleaver a month earlier. Bainimarama said in November that he had declared Cleaver persona non grata “to tell New Zealand we can’t stand any bullying any more.
Newsline: Fiji welcomes NZ stance change
Fiji’s coup leader and interim prime minister has welcomed a softening in New Zealand’s opposition to his military-backed regime. Commodore Frank Bainimarama says he also wants a thaw in relations with Australia. Since the 2006 coup, Australia and New Zealand have led international demands that Fiji return to democratic rule, and have been enforcing travel bans on members of Fiji’s military and government. In November, Australia expelled Fiji’s top diplomat in response to Fiji’s decision to declare Australia’s High Commissioner persona non grata. Fiji also expelled New Zealand’s high commissioner, prompting the country to respond in the same manner as Australia. At the time, Commodore Bainimarama accused Canberra and Wellington of interfering in his country’s judiciary.
