18 July, 2003

Locke: A time for reconciliation in Fiji

Green Foreign Affairs spokesperson Keith Locke said New Zealand should encourage the Fiji government to abide by the Fijian Supreme Court's decision today that the Labour Party is entitled to be part of the Qarase government.

"It is time for political reconciliation," said Mr Locke.

"There will be mayhem if the Qarase Administration defies the Court and refuses to put Labour Party representatives in Cabinet.

"The Fiji government is at a crossroads. It can either implement the spirit of the 1997 constitution and make the government truly multiracial, or it can defy the Court and further entrench ethnic chauvinism.

"There are crucial matters, such as the future of Indian land leases, which can only be solved through cross-party, multi-cultural cooperation.

"New Zealand should do everything possible to encourage the Qarase government to abide by this historic decision," said Mr Locke.

ENDS

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