NZ says diplomatic channels with Fiji still open
Updated
New Zealand's prime minister, Helen Clark, says diplomatic channels with Fiji are still open, despite ongoing sanctions.
Her comment follows a report by the global anti-corruption group Transparency International, which has called on New Zealand to re-open diplomatic communication with the Fiji interim government.
Transparency International chairman, Gerald McGhie, says if the United States can talk to North Korea, New Zealand should be able to re-establish relations with its Pacific neighbour.
Prime Minister Clark has told the New Zealand Herald diplomatic channels are not closed off.
She says New Zealand's high commission in Fiji is active in the joint working group between the Pacific Islands Forum nations and the Fiji interim government.
New Zealand imposed targeted sanctions against Suva following the 2006 coup.
