Fiji's re-entry into C'wealth: India to wait for poll outcome

By Amit Baruah

ADELAIDE, JUNE 23. India has said that it would like to ponder over the results of the August elections in Fiji before agreeing to let the island nation return to the Commonwealth and has sought Australia's support to its stand.

However, the Australian Prime Minister, Mr. John Howard, impressed upon the visiting External Affairs Minister, Mr. Jaswant Singh, that Fiji should be allowed to rejoin the Commonwealth immediately after the elections.

In fact, Australia wanted the process of Fiji's return to the Commonwealth to begin in early September when the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) would meet in London. This, obviously, would be in preparation for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Brisbane from October 6-9.

Hammering out a common position on the issue is crucial since India has been operating through Australia and New Zealand on the question of Fiji. Asked about the issue at a joint press conference, Mr. Singh said yesterday that there was no ``new policy'' in place as far as India was concerned.

``We have consistently supported the... restoration of democracy, primacy of the 1997 Constitution. We are very glad that elections are now due to be held and we do not wish to say anything that even in the slightest manner interferes (with) or influences the electoral process... it is our hope that the electorate of Fiji will throw up an answer...to the problems...'' he said, adding, ``it is my hope that the democratic process - whatever (leader/Government) it throws up is acceptable to the people of Fiji.''

For his part, the Australian Foreign Minister, Mr. Alexander Downer, said: ``We see the elections at the end of August as an enormous step forward towards the resolution of the problem of Fiji and we are providing direct Australian Government support for that process in two ways... we will be providing financial support to the Fiji electoral commission... and secondly we are looking at sending observers as well for those elections.''

Mr. Downer said Fiji had an opportunity to get back into the international mainstream through the election process. ``There is a real prospect of us lifting our sanctions on Fiji... provided the elections are free and fair... and due process is followed.''

During his visit, Mr. Singh also met the Indian High Commissioners to Fiji, Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea and discussed Fiji among other issues.

India, clearly, wants to maintain the diplomatic pressure on Fiji to ensure not only that elections are held properly but any Government that emerges is allowed to function normally. The former Fijian Prime Minister, Mr. Mahendra Chaudhry, also flew down to Sydney earlier this week to hold talks with Mr. Singh in a sign that he attached considerable importance to the Indian diplomatic posture.

Mr. Singh, who returned to Sydney today, travels to New Zealand where, presumably, the Fiji issue will once again come up for discussions during his meeting with the Prime Minister, Ms. Helen Clark, and the Foreign Minister, Mr. Phil Goff.

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