New Zealand will not be leaving the Pacific Islands Forum

Transcript

The New Zealand Prime Minister John Key has told Frank Bainimarama that New Zealand will not be leaving the Pacific Islands Forum.

The Fijian prime minister's continued refusal to return to the regional body was broached in talks between the two leaders in Suva.

Sally Round is travelling with Mr Key and Don Wiseman about the Forum discussions.

Well Mr Key earlier had said that he wanted to try and persuade Mr Bainimarama to return to the forum, remember Fiji's suspension was lifted after it's elections in 2014. And although Fiji has taken part in lower level meetings and trade talks, Mr Bainimarama has steadfastly refused to return to leaders' get-togethers. He has some beef with Australia and New Zealand's role as both donors and members, basically a feeling that they have too much say. Anyway Mr Key basically said he made his point, New Zealand wasn't going anywhere, the Forum is too important a body, he doesn't know if Mr Bainimarama will return but he thinks he will at some point. 

DON WISEMAN: I guess another sticky question on this brief visit by Mr Key is this matter of the access to the country of certain New Zealand Journalists who have been on a black ban for years?

SR: Basically it was an agree to disagree result, Mr Key pressed his message that a free media was necessary for a healthy democracy and Mr Bainimarama had said on Thursday night he criticised certain parts of the New Zealand media for driving an agenda questioning his legitimacy but he said that those black-listed journalists will remain banned. So yes, agree to disagree on this one. The two men say that they are both keen to build a new relationship -- reset is the word that they are using -- and they mark that at the end of their talk with an exchange of yes, you guessed it, rugby paraphernalia: a signed rugby ball for Mr Bainimarama and a Fijian rugby shirt with his name on it for Mr Key.

DW: And Mr Key I believe also spoke with the leader of the opposition Ro Teimumu Kepa?

SR: Yes he did and I spoke to Ro Teimumu afterwards and she told me that she had actually apologised to Mr Key for Mr Bainimarama's speech at the banquet the previous evening. She said that his speech going back to 2006 and why he did what he did was inappropriate and also making those comments about the media. She said that those sort of comments are not the norm when other visiting leaders have come to Fiji. She seemed quite embarrassed about the whole thing and others I have spoken to in the opposition camp feel that this speech by Bainimarama was a big snub to Mr Key.