15 Apr 2015

Bainimarama accuses Key of 'dangling funds' over Forum

3:58 pm on 15 April 2015

The Prime Minister of Fiji says it is not right to dangle funding as an inducement to keep New Zealand and Australia as members of the Pacific Islands Forum.

John Key

John Key Photo: RNZ

Frank Bainimarama has reiterated his stance that Fiji will not go to the leaders' summit unless there are changes in the membership of the Forum.

New Zealand Prime Minister John Key has called the Fiji leader's views on New Zealand and Australian membership a joke, saying Mr Bainimarama is mouthing off.

But Mr Bainimarama has told Auckland-based Radio Tarana that Mr Key's claims about funding just show how poor the relationship is.

"They only see our relationship is to do with funding and that is their outlook on what our relationship is in the Forum, to dangle funding in front of us, then obviously that is a poor view of what our relationship should be like."

Frank Bainimarama

Frank Bainimarama Photo: Facebook