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Fiji is going to the Pacific Islands Forum Foreign Ministers meeting with an open mind and the willingness to take criticism and encouragement. Fiji’s representative, Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation Minister Ratu Epeli Nailatikau spoke to Department of Information’s Prashila Devi on how he plans to woo his counterparts in the Pacific. Department of Information: Fiji is one of the issues that will be discussed? Ratu Epeli: Fiji is the agenda of this forum ministers meeting, we were the agenda last year when it was held in Vanuatu. We are on the agenda again this year because of the situation we are in and it will he held, as you know on the 26th, March, 2008 and during that there will be the presentation of the report, the interim Government joint report on the events that have taken over the last 12 months. So we are the agenda for this forum ministers meeting. DINFO: What sort of vibe will we be emitting when we go for this meeting? Ratu Epeli: I always have good vibes. I don’t have bad vibes, I always have good vibes. I go there with a positive attitude and an open mind and then we will see what happens in the presentation of their report. After the presentation of the report I might be asked to make a presentation and that comes in later on in the day after the Commonwealth have given their report, which is in the early afternoon. And later that day I will give a report on what the interim government has done over the last 12 months, from our side. And whether we have a question and answer period is up to the chair but the chair is New Zealand. Last time I remember in Vanuatu there was no question and answer. One side presents, you move on and they discuss themselves. So it is a pretty straightforward procedure. DINFO: Mr Winston Peters seems quite eager to meet you. They are all channelled towards the road to the elections. Will we be giving them the report on our progress in this regard? Ratu Epeli: I don’t whether Mr Peters is eager to meet me. I haven’t had an indication of that but I will see him in Auckland and am looking forward to making acquaintance with my other colleagues. I haven’t seen some of them for 12 months. Mr Peters I look forward to seeing him. Last time I saw him he was 12 months ago, I hope to meet the others. DINFO: So what are we saying in terms of election preparation? Ratu Epeli: Yes, well because that is part of the whole process is being what commitments have we carried out during this last 12 months. So all that is included in the report but the report is a joint report of the Forum and it has been going on so all that we are doing is reporting on what has taken place in these 12 months. You know as well as I do what events have taken place and what appointments have been made and those will be discussed as a result of the report. DINFO: What sort of delegation are you taking with you? Ratu Epeli: Well the delegation comprises of myself, the Permanent Secretary in the Prime Minister’s office, the PS Foreign Affairs and the PS in the AG’s office. That will be the Fiji team. I am taking those three because they have been the representative of Fiji in the Joint Working Group so they know the personalities involved on the other side and they have discussed the matters over the months on each of the developments that have taken place. DINFO: So acquiring the visa was a smooth process? Ratu Epeli: Well we got our visa today (20/03/08) it’s a three day visa. In on the 25th, which is on a Tuesday, meeting on the 26th and out on the 27th. So it’s a neat surgical insertion. DINFO: You will be meeting new Ministers this time around. New Governments have been sworn-in namely the Australian Government and the Papua New Guinea Government. The Rudd Government has shown sort of a softened stance compared to the Howard Government. What sort of expectations do you have from the Big Brother? Ratu Epeli: Well as I said initially, I go with good vibes to any meeting. I am not awed by who is going to be there, who is not going to be there. We go in prepared to expect criticism, to expect encouragement and you will get one or either that or both at the same time. There are new personalities involved because there have been elections. I look forward to meeting the new personalities but the thing is whether they are new personalities does not mean they don’t know the situation in Fiji. They would have been as well briefed as I am on the situation, you can be assured of that so that’s why we are going in prepared. You have to be prepared for everything but you go in with an open mind. DINFO: So the Joint Report, does it include the People’s Charter? Ratu Epeli: Yes, it would include the People’s Charter. As you know the People’s Charter is not a conclusion to the People’s Charter. The process is going on so parts of the report will contain that. And I will also cover it in the statement that I will make, the progress on that. The thing is that it is not foregone conclusion on what will come out of the processes at the end and this is the thing what we will be asking our colleagues, “have patience, bear with us” and we intend to get to the end of the road. DINFO: What other agendas are there during the meeting that we will look at? Ratu Epeli: No the thing is, the prime one is Fiji. So I am not looking at any other agenda items. I am looking at Fiji. This is the opportunity to get contact with our colleagues, opportunity for them to question us at the sincerity with which we are going about the task that we have been given and the timetable that we have set. So I look forward to that. DINFO: Will you also be discussing the lifting of the travel bans imposed by Australia and New Zealand? Ratu Epeli: Well that’s always on the agenda. That’s never ending but whilst I may I raise it with them if I get the opportunity its not something that they are not aware of. They are very well aware of the bans and they have put it into place and they are the ones who will lift the ban when it suits them. What it has done, with the travel bans, is that it has hindered the process that we have been committed to do so it has had a great effect on that. We haven’t had the right calibre of people come forward and lifting the travel ban would assist. DINFO: Right after this meeting you will be attending the conference with Melanesian Spearhead Group leaders. Would you try to have a pre-conference meeting with these Melanesian leaders? Ratu Epeli: On this occasion, I am arriving there on Tuesday, we are meeting on Wednesday and we leave there on Thursday so there is, the concentration will be on this (Forum) meeting. There is the MSG meeting towards the end of the April in Vanuatu. We will get the opportunity to meet there but if on some occasion if opportunity presents itself, if that presents itself in Auckland we might have a snap meeting. Informal or formal meeting on the progress. DINFO: Could you say what are some of the other issues the joint report will contain, the one that will be presented to the leaders? Ratu Epeli: The report is there and they will present the report and when it is presented then they will make public because it is the report on the joint committee to the Forum Foreign Ministers meeting. It is their report. DINFO: What is your call to the cynics who have already written Fiji off? Ratu Epeli: Well I don’t know what gives them the right or the vanity to write Fiji off. We are a sovereign country, there has been a hiccup in the progress of our history on this occasion like it has on three other occasions in the past but like on those occasions we have pulled through and I don’t have any doubt we will pull through in this time. I think they are making a very premature judgement, those who do that, very premature. We will get there. -End- |
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