KEY POINTS:
Acting New Zealand High Commissioner Caroline McDonald will be expelled from Fiji today, according to a Fijian media report.
Fijivillage.com website said Ms McDonald's imminent expulsion had been confirmed by a senior government official after self-appointed Prime Minister Voreqe (Frank) Bainimarama and New Zealand Foreign Minister Murray McCully spoke by phone yesterday.
It said an announcement was expected later today.
The official said that Commodore Bainimarama had stressed to Mr McCully that Ms McDonald and her embassy staff were responsible for reporting to the New Zealand Government about who was related to the members of the military regime and interim government, and whose visas must be rejected.
He is understood to have said that Ms McDonald would be expelled unless New Zealand relaxed a travel ban so George Naceva can continue to study at Massey University.
George's father Rupeni Naceva is the private secretary to Fiji's President Ratu Josefa Iloilo.
According to the official, Cdre Bainimarama told Mr McCully that if sanctions were to continue, they should apply only to the military and interim government members, not their families as they had no part in Fiji's situation.
He has not yet said how the New Zealand Government would react if Fiji went ahead and expelled Ms McDonald.
Fijivillage.com said Mr McCully had not decided whether he would talk to Cdre Bainimarama again today.
Meanwhile, the chairman of the New Zealand Pacific Business Council Gilbert Ullrich said the NZ Government must persevere and get the country's relationship with Fiji on to a much better footing.
He told Radio New Zealand that trade worth $300 million was at risk if the Government did not shore up its relationship with Fiji and stressed it must take a fresh view over Fiji as the former Labour Government's approach was wrong.
A spokesman for Mr McCully said today that he was watching the situation closely and monitoring developments.
- NZPA
