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New Zealand and Australia do not intend to replace their high commissioners in Fiji until they get some reassurance they will not be sent home any time there is a disagreement between the countries, says New Zealand Foreign Minister Murray McCully.
The position was taken during discussions between McCully, his Australian counterpart Stephen Smith and Fiji's Foreign Minister Ratu Inoke Kubuabola at a meeting in Canberra yesterday.
The talks lasted about 1-1/2 hours after which Kubuabola and McCully met for the same period again in the evening.
The meeting followed last year’s diplomatic expulsions by all three countries and was initiated by New Zealand in a bid to improve relations with Fiji.
McCully said he had got Australia involved in the talks after an initial meeting in Nadi in January between him and Kubuabola.
High Commissioner appointments were not discussed.
"The trilateral meeting yesterday was in order start a conversation involving the three parties over matters that were different from or an extension of those we talked about bilaterally," he said.
McCully said one goal of the talks had been achieved.
"The first objective is to be able to conduct a good civilised diplomatic conversation because it's fair to say that New Zealand and Fiji, and Australia and Fiji, have not had a good track record on being able to agree to disagree."
The ministers were working on establishing a base for diplomatic conversation.
"Hopefully that leads into upgrading the machinery by which we have diplomatic dialogue which means lifting the capacity of our missions. But in terms of... high commission appointments both Steven Smith and I have made the point that there's no point in us appointing high commissioners who are going to be sent home the first time there's a disagreement between New Zealand and Fiji and we are not yet at that point."
McCully said while no solid understanding had been reached, a framework for future discussions was in place.
"So it's just a question of moving this thing forward deliberately and slowly."
McCully said the mood had been "constructive and professional".
A Fiji government statement said the meeting was convened “under an atmosphere of frank and fruitful exchange and the opportunity to meet early in 2010 was considered by the ministers as an important step towards resolving outstanding issues of mutual importance to the three countries”.
The statement said the three ministers had agreed to meet again in the future.
