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New Zealand's travel ban on leaders and officials of the interim regime will slow Fiji's return to democracy, self-appointed prime minister Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama says.
In a statement released yesterday he called the decision "hypocrisy of the highest order".
"How can they claim to remain focused on encouraging a rapid return to constitutional government in Fiji when they are hell-bent on punishing credible people who are coming forward to help bring about necessary changes to move us forward?
"If New Zealand's aim is to hurt Fiji and crumble our institutions of state, then obviously it will affect our capability to return the country to parliamentary democracy expeditiously, which the international community is demanding," he said.
The travel ban on Fijians responsible for last year's coup and members of the interim government was extended by New Zealand to cover senior officials appointed by the military regime since then.
The action was a response to the expulsion last month of New Zealand's High Commissioner to Suva, Michael Green.
- NZPA
