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Murray McCully - Source: Fairfax -
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The government is not ruling out the possibility that the Fiji military man who has fled to Tonga could be given access to New Zealand.
Fijian Lieutenant Colonel Ratu Tevita Mara was plucked from waters off Fiji by a Tongan Navy boat at the weekend. He'd been charged with sedition for allegedly plotting to overthrow Fiji's self-appointed leader Commodore Frank Bainimarama.
Foreign Minister Murray McCully has told a joint news conference with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Washington DC that the government has not made any decisions about the possibility Mara might be given access to New Zealand.
"We simply think that with a dynamic situation of this sort to rule in or out any options at this stage would be unwise," McCully said.
He added: "It doesn't indicate that there's anything in particular on the table."
Clinton said both New Zealand and the United States agreed in talks today that the military junta must take steps to return Fiji to democracy.
McCully repeated that the government is not getting involved in the tension between Fiji and Tonga at the moment and regards it as a bilateral dispute.
"We are heartened by the fact that there are legal processes currently in play rather than anything less constructive."
He said the fact that there's an arrest warrant for Mara for extradition procedings and a legal process underway "has the dispute in the most constructive space that we could expect at the moment."
"We'll keep a close watching brief. I was in Tonga myself a few days ago. We're keeping very close to developments. But it's just another sign that there are real rensions in play within the regions, real tension in play inside Fiji," he said.
McCully said that to see what was effectively the number three man for Bainimarama desert and go to Tonga is a sign that the commodore's grip on power has weakened somewhat.
After McCully spoke, Clinton said: "I couldn't say it better myself."
Relationship strong
Clinton also said they agreed on the importance of pursuing negotiations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
She also extended an offer on behalf of President Obama for Prime Minister John Key to visit him some time in the American summer which is between June and August. Wilson said they probably want to get that done before the November general election draws near in New Zealand.
Before the meeting, McCully said the signing of the Wellington Declaration last November reaffirmed the strength of the New Zealand-US relationship.
He said his meeting with Clinton was part of New Zealand's on-going dialogue with the United States on current issues, including Afghanistan, co-operation in the Pacific and developments in the Middle East.
McCully also said the visit also gives him an opportunity to extend the government's appreciation to the United States for the "extremely prompt and generous support" offered to New Zealand in the aftermath of the Christchurch earthquake.
McCully will meet with other US officials and Members of Congress, including Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, Senator John McCain, Deputy Secretary of State Thomas Nides, Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell and National Security Council East Asia Pacific Senior Director Danny Russel.
He will also deliver an address to the Centre for Strategic and
International Studies (CSIS) think-tank on the New Zealand-US
relationship in the Pacific.
Barbara Dreaver has an interview with Lieutenant Colonel Tevita Mara on ONE News at 6pm tonight.
