30 Dec 2008

Fiji crisis high on the agenda during Niue/New Zealand talks next week

4:27 pm on 30 December 2008

The Fiji standoff with New Zealand will be a key item on the agenda when this country's Foreign Minister, Murray McCully, makes his first official visit to Niue next week.

The Niue Premier, Toke Talagi, is also the chair of the Pacific Islands Forum, which meets in four weeks in Port Moresby, solely to discuss the Fiji interim Government's lack of commitment to a return to democracy.

He says they need to sit and discuss the situation especially since Mr McCully was part of the Ministerial Contact Group which visited Fiji early this month.

"As well as the fact that we need to determine what we can [ do ] based on his experience and based on his knowledge on the ground there in Fiji what we can do to move this issue forward from where it is at the present time."

Mr Talagi says Niue also wants to raise its concerns with Mr McCully about its present bilateral arrangements with Wellington.

He says they are not working well and changes are needed.