FIJI UPDATE, FEBRUARY 1, 2007: EPG COMPLETES ITS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 SUVA 000084

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/01/2017
TAGS: PGOV PHUM MARR ASEC FJ
SUBJECT: FIJI UPDATE, FEBRUARY 1, 2007: EPG COMPLETES ITS
VISIT; PRESIDENT ILOILO TO GO TO AUSTRALIA FOR MEDICAL
TREATMENT; ACADEMIC FREEDOM IN JEOPARDY

REF: A. SUVA 80


B. SUVA 75

Classified By: Charge Ted Mann per 1.5 (B) and (D)

Summary
--------------

1. (C) The EPG wrapped up its visit, but said little of
substance in its closing press conference. The EPG will
present a report to Forum Foreign Ministers in about two
weeks. It called on the Forum to continue to engage with
Fiji. In a welcome letter to the EPG Chairman, Bainimarama
said the best form of engagement would be to remove all
sanctions and travel bans and support his (five-year) plan to
bring Fiji back to democracy. PM Qarase told EPG members
that elections should be held within six months, as happened
in 2001 when he headed the interim government. Australia will
allow President Iloilo to travel there in mid-February for
medical treatment. Intimidation efforts continue, including
pressure on the University of the South Pacific to restrict
academic freedom. End summary.

EPG Wraps Up Visit; Press Conference Reveals Little
-------------- --------------

2. (U) The Eminent Persons Group completed its meetings
2/01 after a visit to Lau to meet with deposed Prime Minister
Qarase. In a brief press conference on the afternoon of
2/01, the EPG stated that it will be presenting a report to
Forum Foreign Ministers in about two weeks. EPG members said
the group had conducted consultations on a broad range of
issues, including the constitution, good governance, and
human rights abuses. The group said there is a consensus
about the need to return to democracy, but noted there were
many divergent views about when that could take place, with
some suggesting elections within the year and others (read:
the interim government) suggesting that a preparatory period
of up to five years is needed. EPG members stressed the
importance of continued Pacific Island Forum engagement with
Fiji, not otherwise defined.

Qarase Says An Election Can be Held in Six Months
-------------- --------------

3. (U) In press interviews after his meeting, Qarase said
he told the EPG that elections need to be held at the
earliest possible date. Qarase noted that when he led the
interim government in 2000 he arranged elections within six
months. There is no reason why that couldn't happen again.
Bainimarama's plan for interim government rule of 3-5 years
is "totally unsatisfactory," he said. Qarase told the EPG
his "internal exile" in Lau was a violation of basic human
rights.

Bainimarama Letter to EPG
--------------

4. (C) Embassy obtained from the Australian High Commission
a copy of a welcome letter Bainimarama wrote to the EPG
Chairman, dated 1/29. In the letter, Bainimarama reviewed:
1) the reasons why the military overthrew the elected
government; 2) the mandate of the current interim government;
3) steps to be taken before Fiji can return to democracy; and
4) ways the Pacific Island Forum and its members could help
assist Fiji restore democracy. Sections 1-2 of the letter
contain little new information. They consist of a
regurgitation of statements made by Bainimarama since the
coup. The focus in section 3 is the need for a census and
other activities to ensure a fair election, including a
boundaries commission, a voter education drive and election
office capacity building.

Bainimarama Calls on the Forum to Understand and Assist
-------------- --------------

5. (C) Section 4 of Bainimarama's letter, in essence, calls
on Forum members to embrace the coup and help the interim
government carry out its program. It asks the Forum and its
members to take the following steps:

--All Forum members re-engage with Fiji to better understand
Fiji's situation;

--Australia and New Zealand gradually remove sanctions,
starting immediately with removal of the travel ban on
military personnel, interim ministers, civil servants and
civilians;


SUVA 00000084 002 OF 003


--Australia and New Zealand resume development assistance to
Fiji;

--The Forum and its members support Fiji's reinstatement in
the Commonwealth;

--Australia and New Zealand consider a package of assistance
to facilitate accomplishment of the milestones specified in
the interim government's roadmap for the restoration of
democracy (presumably section 3 above); and

--The EPG and the Forum Foreign Ministers support the attempt
of the interim government to return the country to
parliamentary democracy through the processes mandated (by
the interim government). Similar support for the interim
government's attempt to clean up corruption would be
appreciated.

War of Words with NZ Continues
--------------

6. (U) New Zealand Foreign Minister Peters called on
Bainimarama 1/30 to "stand down" and run for office if he
really believes the people of Fiji are behind him. Peters
said Bainimarama should back up with evidence his claims of
widespread corruption as a basis for the coup. He also
strongly criticized the many human rights violations
perpetrated by the military, saying it had "created a climate
of fear and abuse." Bainimarama lashed back 1/31, saying
that Peters "should stop spitting venom and leave this
country alone.". "Who is he to interfere in our affairs. We
will not be pushed around by people who think they are too
smart." Bainimarama said Peters and PM Clark "should try to
map out a way to end the bitterness between New Zealand and
Fiji."

Australia Agrees to Visit by Iloilo For Medical Treatment
-------------- --------------

7. (C) Contacts at the Australian High Commission tell us
President Iloilo will be allowed to travel to Australia in
mid-February for a planned medical check-up and treatment.
Iloilo remains on Australia's list of banned travelers;
however, an exemption has been granted for "humanitarian
reasons." The High Commission contact said refusing to give
Iloilo medical treatment had such a large potential downside
that granting the exemption was "the obvious thing to do."

USP Head Gets Threatening Call from RFMF
--------------

8. (C) Last week University of South Pacific Vice
Chancellor Anthony Tarr wrote a memo to USP faculty saying
that while he wants faculty to "use their heads" before
speaking up, he and the administration will always support
academic freedom and the right of faculty to express their
views. We hear Tarr received a threatening phone call from
the RFMF earlier this week in response. (Comment: Since USP
is a regional institution, we hope Forum member countries
take notice. End comment.)

Assistant Commissioner for Police Operations Released;
Placed on Indefinite Leave
-------------- --------------

9. (C) Assistant Commissioner Samueli Matakibau, who
described for us the precarious state of military-police
coexistence in ref B, was released February 1 after 4 days in
military custody. Press reports indicate that the RFMF had
located rifles in the residences of police officers in
Matakibau's unit. The RFMF has been extremely concerned
about the existence of any weapons not under its control.
Matakibau was sent on "indefinite leave."

Bainimarama Meets with Some NGOs, Others Still on the Run
-------------- --------------

10. (U) Commander Bainimarama met with representatives of
16 NGOs 1/30 for "informal discussions." By all accounts the
discussion was somewhat one-sided. According to an interim
government press release, Bainimarama told the NGOs that some
of their public comments had brought discomfort and hardened
feelings, and this was not helping the situation. He told
them the government was listening to NGO concerns and that
"at an appropriate time" their views would be taken into
account. "Meanwhile you have to cooperate with us fully, so
that peace and calm which we have worked very hard to
maintain continue to be maintained and enjoyed by the masses
of people."

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11. (C) Several NGOs met with the EPG. We understand they
reviewed the many human rights violations that have taken
place since the coup and described the climate of fear that
currently exists in Fiji. One NGO activist who couldn't make
her appointment with the EPG was Angie Heffernan, head of the
Pacific Center for Public Integrity. Heffernan told us she
was interviewed by the police in Sigatoka (in Fiji's west)
earlier in the week, and then released. She later received a
call from her brother, a military officer, who told her the
military was still trying to catch her. She remains in
hiding at an undisclosed location.















MANN