Is it becoming more of a regional cop?


In getting the Fiji military strongman to agree to an election and attempting to stay engaged with the blunt Manasseh Sogavare of the Solomon Islands, the Pacific Islands Forum—many believe—is increasingly assuming the role of a regional cop; persuading Fiji to return to the law and order path while attempting to pacify Solomon Islands over the mission the Forum sponsors to help restore peace and normality in this island nation.  

What the international community had been calling for in the last 10 months—right from the day the Fiji military ousted the elected government of Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase—the Pacific leaders were able to attain in just a matter of hours in a closed room at a resort in Vava’u, in northern Tonga.

To be fair, Pacific leaders did not arrive at the outcome in a vacuum. Even before the December 5, 2007 coup—Fiji’s fourth in 20 years—foreign ministers of Forum member countries—all 16 of them—had met to offer practical solutions to the troubled island nation.

That meeting resulted in the formation of a four-member Eminent Persons Group which led to a working committee on Fiji that commissioned at least two other related initiatives—one produced a credible and workable timeline for a general election and the other did a scoping study on what the election would cost.A figure of F$25 million has since been offered.

Even the United Nations General Assembly couldn’t deliver what the Forum leaders achieved out of Fiji. The island’s army commander and interim Prime Minister Commodore Frank Bainimarama two weeks before the Tonga Forum had addressed the world body.

For Greg Urwin, secretary-general of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, the decision on Fiji testified to the regional body’s increasing relevance in contemporary Pacific.

“It seems to me that in the last two years the Forum has become more relevant,” said Urwin.

“Helen Clark I think made a very telling point when she said in an interview I saw that she still had (former New Zealand Prime Minister) David Lange’s words ringing in her ears that he came to the Forum in 1987 after Fiji have had two coups and not a word was spoken about Fiji.

“Now since the measures that came into force under the Biketawa Declaration, the Forum has started to become involved in issues that used to be previously ignored.

“So I don’t think it’s a question of whether the Forum is still relevant. I think it’s a question of increasing relevance so in that sense, yes I’m pleased.

“I think it was a strong outcome from the Forum and it showed again that it can deal with some of the difficult issues.”

It was Australia’s Foreign Minister Alexander Downer —standing for his Prime Minister John Howard—who spoke about Australia and New Zealand’s active role with the Forum decision.

Both Downer and Clark confronted Bainimarama with pointed questions about his roadmap on free and fair elections during the closed-door retreat of Forum leaders at the Puataukanave International Resort on Vava’u Harbour’s seafront.

Their strong stance agitated Bainimarama who complained to journalists after the day-long retreat that Downer and Clark could never be satisfied with his plan.

“Everything that needs to be done to prepare ourselves for the election has been done,” Bainimarama said outside the retreat room. The last one was the appointment of members of the Boundaries Commission. What else do they want? I can’t figure out what else do they want.”

But Bainimarama did stress that he was comfortable with the commitment on the general election he had given the Forum, although he did not specify an election date.

Handling troubled nations: So while Forum leaders can pat themselves on the back for successfully extracting a firmer commitment from the Fijian military leader that the 3000-strong army he leads would respect the outcome of the election and that the polls would be conducted in line with the island’s current constitution, another test remains for the Forum: how to handle another troubled Melanesian member, Solomon Islands.

The stage for confrontation was already forming even before the leaders went for their overnight retreat in Vava’u on October 17. Angered by Australia’s role in the latest review of RAMSI, the Pacific Islands Forum’s Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands, Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare sent a pretty caustic four-page letter of complaint to the incoming Forum chair, Prime Minister Fred Sevele of Tonga.

In it, Sogavare said he would boycott the Tonga Forum “because of the strong opposition of the lead country in RAMSI to our position on the report.” This was a clear reference to Australia, the main contributor to RAMSI, in terms of money and personnel.

He also wanted Sevele to take the latest RAMSI review report by former Fijian foreign minister Kaliopate Tavola and retired New Zealand senior diplomat Neil Walter off the Forum agenda.Sevele didn’t.

RAMSI report endorsed: In actual fact and in what could be seen as a snub on Sogavare, the Forum leaders went on to consider the report, endorsed it and upheld Tavola and Walter’s recommendation that a Forum ministerial standing committee be formed to “engage” with the Sogavare Government.

In acknowledging full participation in the leaders’ decision on both Fiji and Solomon Islands, Downer did say that both key decisions were achieved due to the moderating influence of the Forum’s two most senior members; Prime Minister Tuila’epa Lupesoliai Aiono Sailele Malielegoai of Samoa and Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare, Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister.

“I’m truly delighted with this Forum,” Downer told journalists as he left the leaders’ retreat in Vava’u to board the Royal Australian Air Force Hercules aircraft that flew him back to Australia.

“It really showed the relevance of the Forum in taking the agenda forward.

“I pay particular tribute to Sir Michael Somare who has been very helpful in all of these and also the Prime Minister of Samoa, Honourable Tuila’epa who has done a very good job on this issue as well.”

Downer didn’t specify exactly what Tuila’epa’s role was, but Somare did confirm to a few reporters at the Vava’u retreat that he had met Bainimarama prior to the Tonga Forum.

This magazine was told the meeting took place at the Westin Resort and Spa, an island resort near Fiji’s international airport in Nadi, where the PNG leader had spent a night on his way to the Forum in Nuku’alofa. The meeting lasted two and a half hours, an aide said.

It is public knowledge that Somare is very close to the children of Fiji’s founding Prime Minister, the late Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara and it was Ratu Epeli Nailatikau, who is married to one of Ratu Mara’s daughters—got Somare to agree to a meeting with Bainimarama.

Nailatikau was Bainimarama’s superior as army commander at one time and currently serves as foreign minister in Bainimarama’s interim administration.

Bainimarama at the Westin Resort meeting with Somare explained his interim regime’s exit strategy through the formulation of a people’s charter.

The grand chief suggested that the commodore should make the same explanation on the people’s charter at the Forum meeting.

He also told the Fijian army leader that Forum Islands countries would want a commitment from him that the election would be held in early 2009 and an assurance that this time around, the military that he leads would respect the outcome of the general election.

If Bainimarama was ready to give that assurance, then the Fijian leader could count on his support during discussions in the Tonga Forum, Somare reportedly told the Fijian interim prime minister at their Nadi meeting.

On RAMSI, Somare did admit he was disappointed that Sogavare decided to stay away from the Tonga Forum.

“He should have been here to explain his decision so we can help him out on how to go about solving the problem he has with RAMSI,” Somare told the PINA’s news service, PACNEWS.

Mediators: “I can understand his feelings but there are ways to sort out these things.”

The PNG leader did say that he and his Melanesian counterpart Prime Minister Ham Lini of Vanuatu have both taken it upon themselves to act as mediators in the Solomon/Australia dispute over RAMSI.

It seems the most senior Melanesian leader didn’t waste any time as ISLANDS BUSINESS has confirmed that Somare met Sogavare on his way home from Tonga.

Somare’s press secretary and daughter Betha said the two leaders met at the Honiara International Airport’s transit lounge.

She said it was an informal discussion with no officials present, so no-one except the two leaders knew what was discussed.

The grand chief’s influence was also made to bear on point 29 of the Forum leaders’ 33-point communiqué released in Vava’u on October 17.

“Leaders noted the intention of the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea to convey the Forum discussions on Papua to the President of Indonesia.”

Interestingly, the question of Papua’s independence was raised at the retreat by Clark, and not from Papua’s strongest supporter in the Forum, Prime Minister Lini of Vanuatu.

Lini apparently had met Clark prior to the Tonga Forum and the New Zealand leader agreed to raise the matter.

Papua: Her push to have the Papua issue featured prominently in the communiqué was moderated by Somare’s intervention that he would be meeting President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono early next year and he would brief him about the Forum’s position.

Right from day one of the Forum, Somare made it  known that he would be a moderating influence in the Fiji and RAMSI discussions.

The hint was evident in his address as outgoing Forum chair at the Forum’s formal opening ceremony before King George Tupou V near his palace grounds in Nuku’alofa on October 16 where he referred to Fiji as “a member of our family of island nations.”

“It is important that we all work together in the usual Pacific Way to find a way forward in the best interest of the people of Fiji,” said Somare.

“A member of our family needs our understanding and assistance to bring it back to the fold. We would not be doing justice to our objectives if we sought solely punitive actions for a member of the family.”

On RAMSI, the PNG leader also called for understanding saying the support of the government of Solomon Islands is crucial if the regional mission is to continue.

Areas of discord in the conduct of RAMSI must be addressed, he added.

Such counsel will be particularly useful for Sevele who began his 12-month term as Forum chair at the Tonga meeting.

The test for this successful entrepreneur and one-time economist at the then South Pacific Commission (now Secretariat of the Pacific Community) will be the same two issues that challenged Somare: supporting Fiji’s path back to parliamentary democracy and convincing Solomon Islands to remain engaged in RAMSI, roles that ‘super cops’ are not renowned to have a lot of expertise in. 

Yet the Tongan leader seemed to give the impression that he already has the formula. “We must encompass differences while maintaining those values of civility and constructive understanding,” Sevele said in his inaugural address as Forum chair.

“The founding fathers of the Forum displayed extremely far-sighted vision in establishing the Forum as a strong regional political family through which the small and vulnerable Pacific islands states could together through pooling of resources, of experience and wisdom, help resolve any crisis faced by any of its members, or by the region as a whole.

“This is the test before us today and it calls for a united, firm and principled yet sympathetic and understanding response.”

FIJI 15. Leaders: (a) endorsed the findings of the EPG Report following its mission to Fiji from 29 January to 1 February 2007 and the outcomes of the Forum Foreign Affairs Ministers’ Meeting in March 2007 as an appropriate way forward to the restoration of constitutional and democratic government in Fiji; (b) welcomed the undertaking by the Leader of the Fiji Interim Government to the Forum Leaders today that a parliamentary election will be held in the first quarter of 2009, and noted that he also stated to Forum Leaders that he and the Republic of Fiji Military Forces will accept the outcome of the elections in the first quarter of 2009; (c) called on the Fiji Interim Government now to work with the Forum-Joint Working Group to produce a credible roadmap to those elections at that time according to the Constitution and law of Fiji, and urged the Interim Government to accord the highest priority to this task; (d) noted that the Interim Government is pursuing an initiative to produce a People’s Charter; (e) expressed appreciation for the support which members of the international community have accorded to the Forum’s actions in addressing the pathway to election by the first quarter of 2009; (f) commended the work carried out by the Fiji/Forum Joint Working Group in seeking to advance the pathway to elections by the first quarter of 2009; and (g) called for a meeting of the Forum Foreign Affairs Ministers in January next year to review the progress being made towards the election in the first quarter of 2009. REGIONAL ASSISTANCE MISSION TO SOLOMON ISLANDS 16. Leaders: (a) commended and confirmed the continuing support of all Forum members as contributing countries to the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands as an outstanding example of cooperative regionalism; (b) noted that, in accordance with their decisions in 2006, a consultative mechanism between the Government of Solomon Islands, RAMSI and the Pacific Islands Forum has been established, and the Task Force to review RAMSI has reported to Forum Foreign Affairs Ministers; (c) recognised the significant contribution that the implementation of the Recommendations of the Task Force would make to the more effective operation of RAMSI; (d) endorsed the Task Force recommendations and commended them for the support of the Government of Solomon Islands; (e) agreed that urgent consultations should be pursued through the Forum Ministerial Standing Committee with the Government of Solomon Islands to seek clarification of their concerns with respect to the specific recommendations of the Task Force, and that the Standing Committee report further to Leaders at the earliest opportunity; (f) noted that the Review has been conducted according to the agreed Terms of Reference; (g) noted the decision by the Government of Solomon Islands to review the Facilitation of International Assistance Act; and (h) noted the importance Leaders place on the assurances given to the Forum Chair that any proposals to amend the Act will be subject of prior consultation with RAMSI contributing countries.