Fiji regime blames NZ and Aust for suspension

Fiji's military government is blaming New Zealand and Australia for its suspension from the Pacific Islands Forum.

Fiji was suspended at midnight on Friday because it ignored a forum deadline to set a date for elections this year.

Self-appointed prime minister Commodore Voreqe (Frank) Bainimarama says there will be no elections before 2014 because changes to the electoral system have to be put in place.

The suspension deadline was agreed by the forum last year but Fiji's Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum said today New Zealand and Australia were behind it.

"We have had a fairly dogmatic position taken and unfortunately that dogmatic position seems to be only pronounced by Australian and New Zealand prime ministers and foreign ministers," he said on Radio New Zealand.

"None of the other forum leaders are speaking out. We have very good and wonderful bilateral relationships with our Pacific brothers and sisters."

Mr Sayed-Khaiyum said "constructive dialogue" was needed between Fiji and the forum to solve the problems.

"At the end of the day...Australia and New Zealand are the superpowers compared with all the others," he said.

"We are small and vulnerable economies, that is reality."

Prime Minister John Key said yesterday he had not doubted the forum would hold to its commitment to suspend Fiji.

"The forum has, and New Zealand continues, to be more than willing to work with Frank Bainimarama if he wishes to restore democracy in Fiji," he told NZPA.

- NZPA