The New Zealand government says it is not be opposed to the inclusion of Fiji in upcoming regional trade talks.
Melanesian leaders have raised concerns about Fiji's apparent exclusion from the Pacer Plus talks, which have just recently kicked off.
This issue is bound to be raised at the next week's annual meeting of Pacific Island leaders in Australia.
Fiji was suspended from the forum at the start of the year.
However, the Foreign Minister, Mr McCully says New Zealand is open to seeing Fiji included in the trade talks, as long as the suspension resolution isn't compromised.
"Whether it's through the chamber of commerce or whether it's through some form of officials interaction, we need to find a basis that's acceptable for Fiji to participate in the discussions; they are not going to go away, they are part of our regional economy, we need to find a way of having them to participate in a discussion that's now going to take some time."
Murray McCully.
