By AUDREY YOUNG
KIRIBATI - They won't forget Helen Clark's name again in a hurry at the Pacific Islands Forum.
Unlike opening night, when the Kiribati compere forgot her name - and introduced her husband, Dr Peter Davis, as Sir Peter Davis - the Prime Minister will leave for home today having made quite an impact at her first forum.
She also got her own way on setting a new code of conduct and punishment for offences against democratic rule.
If she had not succeeded, she was prepared to do a Waitangi and snub future forums altogether, instead sending a minister to the heads of Government meeting.
She also took the right official to make a good impression - the local radio station still plays the songs of her policy director in the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, Dr Maryanne Thompson.
As "Nei Maryanne" (Miss Maryanne), she was a pop star in Kiribati about 10 years ago until she returned to New Zealand with her Kiribati husband.
She accompanied Helen Clark to the Biketawa island retreat, where, after a day of hard persuasion in 35-degree heat, leaders agreed on a code of intervention in member countries during crises such as the latest Fiji coup and civil war in the Solomons.
As Helen Clark put it: "There is a step beyond the talk, talk, talk."
In future crises, the forum can join groups such as the Commonwealth and UN to pressure offending states back into line and civil order.
Foreign ministers will meet and consider responses - including mediation or official visits to the trouble-spot.
Ultimately, leaders may meet to consider other undefined "targeted measures," which could mean sanctions, or suspension from the forum.
The Biketawa Declaration is not retrospective and it will not be applied to Fiji or the Solomons, but that was never envisaged.
It marks a sea-change for the organisation that has prided itself on its Pacific way of not doing anything to cause offence to other members - so much so it was too paralysed to even make statements after George Speight's coup.
Clearly some are upset at the changing balance of forces in the forum.
At the leaders' dinner on Saturday after the tiring day's retreat, the Niue Prime Minister made an unprompted, emotional speech about the treatment of small countries by the big ones.
Helen Clark's hard-headedness on setting rules marks change in New Zealand's relatively softly, softly approach to the Pacific, its traditional sphere of influence.
New Zealand has joined the hard cops, Australia. It is clearly prepared to offend to get the response it wants.
"When they first met in 1971, no one envisaged military coups, complete break down of law and order," said Helen Clark.
"Our argument was that when you face new circumstances, you need new rules and procedures."
She said yesterday that this year's meeting had borne no resemblance to those described by a former Prime Minister, David Lange.
Writing about the forum which met soon after the first Fiji coup in 1987, he said the matter was not even raised. And at one retreat, the President of Nauru nodded off with a cigarette in his mouth, to be wakened only when the ash reached his lips.
No one fell asleep this year.
And Helen Clark forced perhaps the forum's first vote.
Maryanne Thompson and other officials were made to sit in the bush because their shaded canopy was deemed too close to the leaders' one.
Seeing their discomfort after several hours, Helen Clark demanded a show of hands on which leaders would support moving the officials. It was done.
Helen Clark and the Australian Prime Minister, John Howard, doggedly put their case all day from 9 am to 4 pm, refining and refining the wording until they got what they wanted.
Samoan Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi was an important ally, as was the chairman, President Teburoro Tito (pronounced Seeto), of Kiribati, formerly the Gilbert Islands.
It could not therefore be labelled entirely as the "white policemen" wielding their batons.
Laisenia Qarase, the civilian interim Fiji Prime Minister appointed by the military, was there, but Helen Clark avoided any direct contact with him during meeting breaks on the grounds that he leads an unconstitutional Government.
The declaration agreed by leaders yesterday that sets rules to which member nations must adhere was a consensus decision, Mr Qarase said.
"So we're quite happy with it.
"My message is that we asked all other nations, including Australia and New Zealand, to understand our situation better and appreciate the complexity of our problems.
"That's all we ask - and any supportive measures they might like to take," he said.
"They have every right to condemn what has happened.
"I condemn what has happened.
"I never believed that our country could get into that situation after 1987 [the first coups]."
Mr Qarase said the constitution being worked on "will be fair to all the citizens of Fiji, but take into account the particular aspirations and rights of the indigenous people of Fiji."
Helen Clark also dropped plans for New Zealand to host the leaders' lunch yesterday, traditionally paid for by Australia or New Zealand.
"I was not prepared to play to the Fijian interim Prime Minister."
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