Soldiers search for weapons near Parliament yesterday. Herald Picture /
Mark Mitchell
The Commonwealth backlash to Fiji's political crisis caused distress in the
Pacific nation last night with one senior leader breaking down in tears at the
news.
Ratu Josefa Iloilo, a deputy to former President Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, said
he could not understand the Commonwealth reaction, and pleaded for support instead
of sanctions from its international allies.
"Just because of this situation that we are trying to solve ourselves
we have somewhat been penalised by the top people of the Commonwealth,"
Ratu Josefa told Fiji One television.
"We are doing our best to try and solve our crisis, then the Commonwealth
thought it wise to cut us off. Have they forgotten the sweat of Fiji boys in
the battle areas?" he said, wiping tears away.
An eight-member Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group met in London early yesterday
and resolved to partly suspend Fiji in response to last month's coup, demanding
that it return to democracy.
The group expressed unanimous condemnation of the seizure of Prime Minister
Mahendra Chaudhry and the subsequent imposition of martial law and the abrogation
of the multiracial constitution.
In effect, Fiji will be banned from any Commonwealth meetings and will be denied
any new technical aid.
The message is to be conveyed by a ministerial delegation, including New Zealand
Foreign Minister Phil Goff and his Australian counterpart, Alexander Downer,
due to arrive in Suva tomorrow.
They will meet members of the Fijian military, who assumed control of the country
last week, but will not visit the parliamentary complex under the control of
rebel leader George Speight.
Army spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Filipo Tarakinikini said last night that
Fijian authorities were disappointed by the Commonwealth reaction and asked
for support to help the country through the crisis. The military would reserve
any official response until after the delegation's visit.
Mr Goff said he hoped to meet members of the indigenous-Fijian and Fiji-Indian
communities as well as the military Government.
He had no intention of legitimising Speight at all by visiting him, however.
"I regard Mr Speight as a person who has acted unlawfully, criminally
and in a terrorist way," said Mr Goff. "It would not be acceptable
to meet Speight or give him any legitimacy or allow him to claim the respect
of the international community."
Speight, who did not know who Mr Downer was, reacted angrily when told neither
of the Foreign Ministers would visit him.
"What is he [Mr Downer] doing in my country then? Is he going to talk
to Europeans? If he is not going to come here and get the mood of the very people
who are upset about what is going on in this country, I suggest to Mr Downer
he stay in Australia."
Speight and his supporters stormed Parliament on May 19 and took Government
MPs hostage to press for the expansion of power for indigenous Fijians.
Yesterday, soldiers fired warning shots at four rebels who were breaking into
nearby houses.
A military spokesman confirmed that an Army patrol fired three warning shots
as it pursued the rebels. Guns were then fired from within the parliamentary
compound, although it is believed they were pointed into the air.
Speight accused the Army of endangering unarmed civilians and threatened a
confrontation if such an incident were repeated. "If they continue with
that type of approach, it's going to attract a not-too-pleasant backlash."
This text may have been edited to protect the writer.
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