McCully in fresh talks with Fijian counterpart

Foreign Minister Murray McCully. Photo / Mark Mitchell

CANBERRA - Foreign Minister Murray McCully met his Australian and Fijian counterparts in Canberra last night in a bid to begin opening lines of communication following last year's round of tit-for-tat diplomatic expulsions and continuing anger over the suspension of democracy in the Pacific nation.

The meeting followed separate discussions between Mr McCully, Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith and Fijian interim minister Ratu Inoke Kubuabola at the United Nations in New York last year, and further talks between Mr McCully and Ratu Inoke that led to January's decision to expand New Zealand and Fijian consular missions in Suva and Wellington.

Mr Smith waived travel bans imposed on members of the Fijian regime to enable Ratu Inoke to meet him and Mr McCully, who was in the Australian capital for the regular six-monthly formal discussions between the transtasman foreign ministers.

Neither Mr McCully nor Mr Smith was optimistic of any form of breakthrough at what was described as a private meeting, and said discussions would not include the positions and sanctions imposed on Fiji by the Pacific Islands Forum or the Commonwealth.

But both ministers welcomed the opportunity to at least start moves towards a new dialogue.

"The significance of today's meeting is the actual having of a dialogue," Mr Smith said.

"It may well be that all we agree as a result of the meeting is to speak again in the future.

"Frankly, I'd regard that myself as progress."

Both Mr McCully and Mr Smith emphasised that their meeting with Ratu Inoke and their hopes of opening a new dialogue did not represent a softening in their approach towards the Fijian regime.