AUSTRALIA would sever all military ties and
non-humanitarian aid to Fiji in protest over the
ousting of the country's democratically elected
government, the Federal Government said today.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Alexander Downer,
detailed Cabinet's decision on the same day that
rebel leader George Speight's choice for Fiji's new
interim president, Ratu Josefa Iloilo, was sworn in.
"Any government appointed by President Iloilo will
lack a constitutional and democratic foundation," Mr
Downer said.
"At this stage an early return to constitutional and democratic rule in
Fiji seems unlikely."
Australia would also recall its High Commissioner to Fiji and defence advisers
as well as cancelling
all military exchanges, visits and joint exercises between the two countries.
"This represents a cut in the bilateral aid program of around 30 per cent
and halves the number
of our aid activities in Fiji from 19 to 10," Mr Downer said.
"Aid personnel will be reduced from more than 40 to about 25."
But the Federal Government has decided not to reduce humanitarian efforts in
Fiji.
"For example our health projects, which aim to improve health services
for poorer communities,
will continue," Mr Downer said.
"Our basic education activities will not be affected and we'll continue
to support small-scale
projects aimed at helping smaller communities."
The bans would also hit Fiji's sports teams with Australia to ask Britain,
organiser of this year's
rugby league world cup, to ban Fiji.
"We do not wish to have Fiji sporting teams play in Australia," Mr
Downer said.
But Australia will allow Fiji to compete in the Olympics.
"The Government will, however, naturally honour its general obligation
to SOCOG to allow the
entry of Fiji athletes and Olympic officials to the Sydney Olympics," Mr
Downer said.
Australia was also ready to help with "other activities that will help
Fiji to return to a democratically
based system of government".
"Australia will continue to press for an early return to constitutional
rule in Fiji within the framework
of the 1997 constitution and we will be watching very closely the path taken
by the interim civilian
government," Mr Downer said.
"Fiji has now a very clear choice; it can return quickly to democracy,
or it can forego indefinitely its
former place as a valued and respected member of the international community."
The measures were to be activated immediately and were designed "to register
our deep
displeasure with the current situation in Fiji" which began on May 19 with
the ousting of Fiji's
democratically elected prime minister Mahendra Chaudhry.
Mr Downer said he had recalled Australia's High Commissioner to Fiji, Susan
Boyd, "for
consultations for a limited period of time".
He reiterated that Mr Speight's Australian visa had been cancelled and applications
by any of the
rebel leader's associates to visit Australia would be denied.
Among the initiatives that Australia has suspended are all new scholarships
and a range of
projects involving mineral resources, the Fiji customs service, reform of the
civil service, national
planning and the Fiji Bureau of Statistics.
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