Fiji PM says testy relationship with NZ needs work

Transcript

ALEX PERROTTET: Well Frank Bainimarama was here to open the Australia, Fiji business council meeting which has New Zealanders here as well the New Zealand Fiji Business Council is here so it is a big meeting. And he effectively said that the relationship between the country's was testy and he said it had been a difficult week with international condemnation of Fiji. So he went right to this issue of the arrest and he strongly defended the public order decree although it is called Act now that it is a supposed democracy here in Fiji. But it was passed during the military regime and he defended it strongly and he said it was wrong for John Key to say and or to warn that Fiji shouldn't be silly about this. And he said that is like something you would tell a child and he was very very strong in his condemnation of what has come out of Australia, New Zealand and international groups like Amnesty who has said, well these are just simple deprivations of human rights which wouldn't happen in a country that is saying it is fully democratic.

SALLY ROUND: And what about relations with New Zealand and Australia in general? Did he touch on that?

AP:  Well he had positive things to say there he did thank Australia and New Zealand for their assistance after the cyclone he said we will always be mates, he did use that term. But he did say there is a lot of improvement to be done. The response from the Australian senator here Concetta Fierravanti-Wells was very clear and she also praised the good relationship. But she did say that these are, that Australia takes seriously freedom of Assembly and freedom of speech and Australia is watching closely.

SR: Of course this was a business meeting, there has been some confusion about whether Fiji is in or out of this trade deal, this regional trade deal PACER-Plus. What was said about that?

AP: Well the trade minister Faiyaz Koya is here today and he had very strong comments to say he condemned media reports that said Fiji had pulled out of PACER-Plus. The reports were last week fairly strong in terms of that Fiji had indeed pulled out. So much so that New Zealand's trade minister Todd McClay pulled out of a scheduled trip over here which is a strong diplomatic stand. So it was surprising to hear Mr Koya back track and say no we just need more negotiation on the text. We are not happy with labour mobility provision, the most favoured nation provision and we need to talk more about that. He really said strongly that this is about development and we need to put development at the heart of PACER-Plus. Even though many others say well this is actually strictly a trade agreement and there is already a good development relationship between these countries and it's going to be playing with fire trying to achieve too much. But he is very strong on that and the Australian and New Zealand representatives here said we are just here to work harder and sit at the table and dialogue more with Fiji on the matter.