Rebels spurn Fijian chiefs

By NAOMI LARKIN and TONY WALL

SUVA - Fiji was warned early today that violence could escalate following coup leader George Speight's rejection of a deal to end the week-long siege.

The Great Council of Chiefs capitulated yesterday and agreed to form an interim government involving Speight, but the rebel leader was unhappy with the offer.

Simiome Kaitami, Speight's "minister for information," said there would be a backlash by the rebels' supporters to the chiefs' proposal if urgent moves were not made to renegotiate the deal.

"The crisis has further escalated."

The offer

* Chaudhry out.

* Council of advisers replaces Government.

* Council to include Speight's gang.

* President urged to pardon rebels in coup.

* Only indigenous Fijians hold high office.

* Little prospect of early election.

Speight was unhappy because his main three demands had been watered down.

The amnesty offered was not a full pardon but instead amounted to a prerogative of mercy which could land the rebels in the jail, Kaitami said.

The rebels wanted a total "abrogation of the constitution" but instead the chiefs merely offered for it to be reviewed.

The coup leaders had asked for the council's blessing on Speight's administration but instead the chiefs had endorsed Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara as President.

"With throwing out the 1997 constitution you also throw out Ratu Mara as President of Fiji," Kaitami said.

Speight was showing his unhappiness with the chiefs' decisions in "our own unique, peculiarly Fijian way - he's drinking kava, grog."

The rebels would not release any hostages until their demands were met.

The Great Council of Chiefs chairman, Major-General Sitiveni Rabuka, said the chiefs had given in to Speight because "we were told of real danger of harm coming to those held captive."

The chiefs' resolution opened the way for Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry to be replaced by an interim government controlled by Ratu Mara.

The chiefs agreed to ask the President to pardon Speight and the gunmen who helped him to storm Parliament last Friday, and to consider them for government positions.

The main points the Great Council of Chiefs agreed to were:

* That it give its full support to Ratu Mara, and that a council of advisers be appointed to set up a caretaker government led by him.

* That the 1997 constitution be amended to embrace all concerns expressed by the nationalist Taukei movement.

* That the President have sole authority to appoint the advisers, some of whom may be selected from the group led by Speight.

* That the President be requested to exercise his powers to pardon all those who orchestrated the takeover at Parliament and the kidnapping of Mr Chaudhry and other ministers.

* That special attention be given to ensuring only indigenous Fijians can be President, Prime Minister or hold other senior positions.

* That all hostages be released and their captors' guns handed to police.

General Rabuka said the resolution had been passed unanimously and the chiefs had bowed to "blackmail" in agreeing to almost all of Speight's demands.

He warned that Fiji should expect an international backlash, but said that ousting Mr Chaudhry would probably be unconstitutional but not necessarily illegal.

He said Speight would still have to be prosecuted for his actions, and could be pardoned only after that process, and under Ratu Mara's orders.

General Rabuka said Speight and his rebels would have to be included in the chiefs' nominations for the interim government.

Asked if the resolution was good for Fiji, he said: "No, it's bad for Fiji one way or the other. If you were to go the constitutional way and apply the principle of necessity, we hurt our friends.

"If we were to capitulate to hostage-takers, that is also bad. We have chosen the least damaging of the bad solutions."

Asked if the resolution sent the message to disaffected Fijians that violent takeover was acceptable, he said: "That's the message, unfortunately."

He agreed that the resolution was bad for democracy in the South Pacific, although democracy had always been a "foreign flower."

Asked by a Fiji Indian journalist what the status of her people would be under the government, he said: "I don't know. I'm not the architect of this thing. I'm just the chairman of the Great Council of Chiefs. Don't blame me."

Earlier, Speight had confirmed reports that Mr Chaudhry had been manhandled.

But, he said, he had sorted out the issue. "I don't condone violence, which is ironic since I overthrew the Government at the point of a gun."

More Fiji coup coverage

Main players in the Fiji coup

Under seige: map of the Parliament complex