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Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith - Source: Q+A -
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Foreign Minister Stephen Smith is to hold a private meeting with Fiji's foreign minister in what could be a first step towards easing tensions in the diplomatic relationship.
To allow foreign minister Ratu Inoke Kubuabola to travel to Canberra, the government had to relax a longstanding ban on visits by Fijian government officials, imposed following the 2006 military coup.
Also attending the meeting on Wednesday evening will be New Zealand Foreign Minister Murray McCully, in Australia for regular bilateral talks.
Smith said the meeting would discuss ongoing diplomatic issues, without resiling from Australia's belief that Fiji needed to return to democracy.
"We are not proposing to discuss those matters which go to the Pacific Island Forum's decisions in respect of Fiji, nor indeed the Commonwealth decisions in respect of Fiji, but to see if it is possible to put the formal diplomatic relationship between Australian and Fiji and New Zealand and Fiji onto a better footing," he told reporters.
Fiji has experienced four military coups since 1987 with the most recent in December 2006 putting Commodore Frank Bainimarama in power.
Last year he abrogated Fiji's constitution, subsequently announcing a timetable for constitutional change but no elections before 2014.
Fiji subsequently expelled the Australian and New Zealand high commissioners with Australia and New Zealand retaliating with tit-for-tat expulsions.
A study released last week by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) said the current hardline approach had produced an impasse with no suggestion that Fiji was about to back down.
It suggested it was time for Australia to adopt a fresh approach to prepare the grounds for a more effective re-engagement with Fiji.
Smith said he expected a lot of water would need to go under the bridge before the respective high commissioners could be reinstated.
"But we do want to start that dialogue," he said.
"And I've always made the point clear that despite our very strong disagreement with Fiji over its return to democracy, its freedom of expression of thought in Fiji, and its freedom of lawful activity, we do want to continue to have a dialogue with Fiji."
McCully said New Zealand shared Australia's very strong concerns about the situation in Fiji.
"We have not changed our policy in respect of that situation nor have we changed the sanctions which are in place in relation to Fiji," he said.
"But what's become apparent to us is that we're not going to see progress made in dealing with those substantive areas of difference unless there's a vehicle for conversations to occur.
"From New Zealand's perspective that conversation has to be reasonably serious, with three heads of mission sent packing by the interim regime."
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