KEY POINTS:
Foreign Minister Winston Peters met Fiji's military commander at the weekend in what appeared to be last ditch efforts to avert a coup in Fiji.
A spokesman for Mr Peters said there may be another meeting with Fijian Military commander Commodore Frank Bainimarama before he returns home, possibly
tomorrow.
Mr Peters' Australian counterpart Alexander Downer today said a coup was likely to happen very soon and there was clear evidence Cdre Bainimarama was plotting to overthrow the government.
New Zealand High Commission staff in Suva have been taken out of the Fijian capital as a safety precaution and last night the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade beefed up its travel warning to Fiji.
Mr Peters' spokesman said the minister met Cdre Bainimarama in Wellington but would not go into detail about what was discussed or how long the talks lasted.
"The minister had a meeting with Cdre Bainimarama on Saturday," the spokesman said.
"The minister had no wish to make public what was said at that meeting."
The spokesman said a further meeting was a possibility.
Mr Peters knows Cdre Bainimarama personally.
The spokesman described the meeting as "taking full advantage of Cdre Bainimarama being in Wellington".
"Obviously our fullest focus is on trying to ease tensions in Fiji and do whatever we can do to prevent anything unfortunate from happening," he said.
"The Government's message has consistently been that the military has no role in the processes of a democratically elected government.
"We are concerned to see the rule of law upheld."
Mr Downer said he feared a coup as soon as Cdre Bainimarama returned and wanted a meeting of foreign ministers from the region.
"I've been talking with the prime minister of Fiji about the possibility of a Pacific foreign ministers meeting taking place this week.
"That's not been finalised yet, but it's likely to happen towards the end of the week."
Mr Peters' spokesman said such a meeting would be at Fiji's instigation and the minister would attend if it was called.
Cdre Bainimarama has told Fijilive.com that Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase must drop investigations into military officers launched after recent coup talk.
"My intention of removing this government is clear. If they are going to prosecute me if my clean-up campaign fails then it is their concern," he said.
More than 1000 territorial force personnel were recalled over the weekend.
Fiji's Police Commissioner Andrew Hughes said today a coup was "too close for comfort" with tensions increasing.
"This week is going to be, I think, a critical turning point in the whole thing," he told Radio Live.
"I'm not sure if it will happen but it's certainly too close for comfort.
"The statements that are coming from the commander seem to be increasingly pointing in the direction that none of us really want."
The coup could strike at any time and police were dealing with things on a day to day basis.
"We just have virtually every date on the calendar in December circled as a [possibility], depending on where the information is coming from at any particular day, so it's very fluid."
Mr Hughes said police had completed an investigation into the alleged seditious remarks of Cdre Bainimarama.
They were awaiting decision from the Director Public Prosecutions (DPP) on whether to prosecute, which he hoped would be released today.
If the DPP decided to prosecute a summons would be issued for Cdre Bainimarama on his return to Fiji, he said.
An arrest was not a possible because the Cdre surrounded himself with armed bodyguards.
- NZPA
