Bately says Australia still wants return to democracy in Fiji

Updated October 14, 2008 12:15:03

Australia's High Commissioner to Fiji says last week's court ruling that the interim government is legal introduces uncertainties. James Bately says the implications of the court ruling that the President used his powers legally, means Fiji is in for an extended period of direct Presidential rule, which is not something envisaged in the courty's constitution. Mr Batley says Australia is still doing its best to help Fiji return to democracy.

Sean Dorney
Speaker: Australia's High Commissioner to Fiji, James Batley.

BATLEY: No, I wasn't entirely surprised by the decision. I think it's not clear that the High Court decision moves Fiji forward in terms of resolving its current problems. The Australian Government's view remains that it's essential for Fiji to return to a democratically-elected government as soon as possible, that remains our key objective in working with Fiji and with our partners in the region.

DORNEY: The commander now wants all the political parties to meet with him to discuss electoral reform. Can you see that happening?

BATLEY: Virtually all of the parties have said at one stage or another that they are prepared to engage in dialogue. There is disagreement about issues of agenda, I guess the shape of the table if you like sort of issues. But I think in broad, there is agreement that there is a need to talk and that's something that Australia and all the members of the Pacific Islands Forum are keen to see. We don't see political dialogue as a substitute for having an election, but we do accept and we understand that having a political dialogue can assist Fiji move forward and the forum, including Australia, has expressed a willingness to get behind and support a genuine independent and inclusive process of dialogue.

DORNEY: Fiji's president has written to the United Nations and the Commonwealth wanting them to facilitate this political forum. How is that progressing?

BATLEY: I guess it's a disagreement on the nodalities of the talks, on who might facilitate the discussions and how they might be facilitated and on the questions of the agenda, whether it's narrowly focused on electoral reform or more broadly inclusive of other issues of concern to political parties. So those are issues that are still unresolved, but of the subject of. I think it's fair to say a fair bit of behind the scenes discussions.

DORNEY: The Pacific Island Forum Leader's a month or so ago, directed the Forum foreign ministers to visit Fiji again. Is that visit in prospect?

BATLEY: Well, the interim prime minister, Commodore Bainimarama has written to the chair of the Forum and said that he would be willing to have that ministerial group come back and visit. So yes, that visit is in prospect. It's a matter of determining dates now.

DORNEY: You were part of the joint working group between the Forum and the interim government. But that all came to an end, because the interim government pulled out, did they?

BATLEY: The interim government pulled out a few weeks before the Leader's Forum meeting. But since the Forum the interim government has said that it would like to re-engage in that group and that I anticipate will happen very shortly that that group will be reconstituted. And I think it obviously forms an important part of our dialogue and the forum's dialogue with the interim government of Fiji and a vehicle for the forum to engage in helping Fiji, because that's what we're on about, helping Fiji get back to a democratically-elected government.

DORNEY: The judges have basically said that it's up to the commander to advise the president on when an election should be held. That could put it off indefinitely, couldn't it?

BATLEY: Well, I'm obviously reluctant to speculate on the implications of the court ruling. It does seem that one of the possible implications of this ruling though is that we are now in a period of direct presidential rule, that's not a situation that's envisaged in the Constitution of Fiji. So clearly there are some considerable uncertainties now it would seem flowing from the decision.

DORNEY: So, Australia's point of view is that this judgement doesn't change anything?

BATLEY: It doesn't alter the fact that there was a coup in December of 2006 and that Fiji doesn't have an elected government at the moment. Our objective remains the same. That is to help Fiji get back to having an elected government as quickly as possible.