Fiji on verge of suspension

Sir Paul Reeves

Fiji will face expulsion from the Commonwealth if the military regime does not announce tonight that democratic elections are to take place by October next year.

A spokesman for the Commonwealth Secretary, Eduardo del Buey, said despite a planned trip to Fiji by the Commonwealth's Special Representative, Fiji must meet the deadline.

Former New Zealand Governor General, Sir Paul Reeves, is scheduled to visit Fiji after he received an invitation from the interim government's Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama.

Mr del Buey said Sir Paul will visit on or about September 9.

He said the Commonwealth Secretary is finalising dates of Sir Paul's visit now.

The Commonwealth first informed Fiji's interim Government it faced complete suspension in early March, saying at that time the country's military-backed regime has six months to show it was preparing for elections next year.

At that time the Commonwealth and the United Nations' were involved in discussions to facilitate a dialogue involving all Fiji's political parties, to be conducted under the auspices of the office of Fiji's President.

Since Fiji's constitution was scrapped on Good Friday, and a new election date in late 2014 was announced, there has been no further discussion about that dialogue.

At the start of August the Commonwealth released a statement confirming the suspension would still go ahead on September 1, unless it begins plans for an election next year, and also calling on Fiji to recommitt to the political dialogue.

Commodore Bainimarama subsequently invited the Commonwealth's representative, Sir Paul Reeves, to lead a delegation to the country to take part in dicussions.

Jonathan Fraenkel, an academic based at the Australian National University, told Radio New Zealand International while the regime has appeared nonchalant about ultimatums from international bodies in the past, it had made some conciliatory gestures recently.

But that was unlikely to be enough for the Commonwealth

"On several occasions the regime has seemed to take some steps to try and end its isolation, and said it is open to negotiation but there haven't been any major concessions," he said.

- NZHERALD STAFF, RADIO AUSTRALIA, NZPA