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New Zealand research and education network ARENA today called on the New Zealand government to confirm the role of Fiji in upcoming informal trade talks in Vanuatu, following the suspension of Fiji’s current military regime from the Pacific Islands Forum.
In 10 days time, the Forum Island Countries are due to begin another round of ‘informal’ trade consultations with Australia and New Zealand on “PACER Plus”, an extension of the 2001 Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations (PACER).
The region’s major powers want to announce the start of a formal process of consultations leading to negotiations at the Forum Leaders Meeting in Cairns, Australia in August.
“Fiji’s suspension from Forum poses a dilemma for the Australian and New Zealand governments,” Arena spokesperson Dr Jane Kelsey said.
“If Fiji is excluded, what purpose do the negotiations have, when one the two largest economies in the Pacific, alongside Papua New Guinea, is not at the table?”
“If Australia and New Zealand include Fiji either directly in the PACER-plus discussions or through side negotiations, they are effectively saying there’s one rule for free trade, and another rule for everything else.”
“With Fiji’s suspension it makes sense for Australia and New Zealand to put PACER-plus on ice”.
“That would also respect the concerns of many Pacific non-governmental organisations and churches about both the readiness of Pacific countries for free trade talks with Australia and New Zealand, and the impact an extended free trade agreement in the Pacific will have on Island nations’ sovereignty in areas such as public services and indigenous land rights, and the impact on government revenue.”
“It is clear that many governments in the region share those concerns”.
“We invite the New Zealand government to clarify the status of Fiji in the Forum’s trade negotiations and to give up its attempts to launch the PACER-plus process in August in Cairns,” Jane Kelsey said.
