KEY POINTS:
Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully will talk with Fiji's self-appointed Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama this afternoon in a bid to defuse an escalating diplomatic stoush.
Cdre Bainimarama sent a terse message to Wellington last week, saying if a visa was not granted to the son of a senior
official in Suva, New Zealand's acting high commissioner Caroline McDonald would be expelled.
The Government has sent a formal message to Cdre Bainimarama today that the visa will not be renewed, potentially bringing matters to a head.
It is understood the Government has no intention of backing down and is considering expelling Fiji's high commissioner in Wellington, Ponsami Chetty, if Cdre Bainimarama carries out his threat against Ms McDonald.
Prime Minister John Key today refused to comment on whether New Zealand would retaliate if Ms McDonald was expelled, but said Mr McCully and Cdre Bainimarama were scheduled to talk this afternoon.
He said the situation would become clearer after that.
But he said the message sent to Cdre Bainimarama today was unequivocal.
"It spells out our position which is we have no intentions of lifting the ban on people travelling to New Zealand if they are part of the regime, or associated with the regime," he told reporters.
He said it was impossible for Fiji now to meet a March 2009 deadline for elections and New Zealand's position would not change until Fiji took concrete steps towards democracy.
Fiji has also refused to issue diplomatic visas to replace the defence attache, who leaves next week, and the police attache, who leaves in January.
It has also made non-specific threats against other diplomatic staff, and the Government does not know how far Cdre Bainimarama will go with his expulsion orders.
Mr Key said New Zealand had taken a reasonable and pragmatic approach to Fiji and he hoped the outstanding issues could be resolved.
But if they were not it could affect the ability of New Zealand to run its high commission there.
"It questions the safety and security of our people up there."
Mr McCully told reporters he would take a calm approach to the talks.
"Obviously we are very concerned to make sure that we keep the tension as low as possible that any issues that are on the table we work constructively to resolve and that's the consistent position we are taking."
He said there were no plans to voluntarily call Ms McDonald home at this stage.
Mr Key also revealed New Zealand officials had been blocked from visiting TVNZ journalist Barbara Dreaver who was last night detained upon arrival in Fiji and this morning deported.
He said he could not understand why Dreaver was sent home and the refusal to allow officials to see her in detention was "totally unacceptable" and would be taken up with the regime today.
Murray McCully's private secretary James Funnell said a New Zealand embassy staff member tried to see Ms Dreaver last night but was denied entry until this morning.
"Obviously we are concerned and dismayed that a journalist, trying to go about her legitimate business, has been denied access to Fiji for grounds that have not been made clear by anyone in government.
"We are seeking an explanation as to why she was refused permission and to also protest about it," Mr Funnell said.
Insiders say Cdre Bainimarama is using the refusal to grant a visa to former Massey University student George Nacewa - the son of Rupeni Nacewa, a secretary in the office of Fiji's president - as a pretext to raise the stakes over travel sanctions against Fiji.
His visa expired in October and he was sent home.
If she is expelled Ms McDonald will become the second New Zealand high commissioner to get marching orders.
Labour leader Phil Goff said New Zealand should not be blackmailed into dropping its sanctions.
Former prime minister Helen Clark, now Labour's foreign affairs spokeswoman, said she had talked to Mr McCully over the last week and "totally supported" the Government standing firm on travel sanctions.
In June last year Mike Green was declared persona non grata by Cdre Bainimarama's regime after he was accused of "interfering in Fiji's domestic affairs".
Selective travel sanctions were imposed on Fiji soon after Cdre Bainimarama seized power in a bloodless coup two years ago, overthrowing the country's elected government.
They apply to members of the regime, its senior officials and their relatives.
Cdre Bainimarama has become increasingly irritated by the restrictions and said if New Zealand wanted to help Fiji it should stop its travel restrictions which were extremely damaging.
Mr McCully was in Suva last week with other Pacific foreign ministers, making the latest attempt to persuade Fiji's leaders to hold democratic elections by March next year.
Cdre Bainimarama promised last year to meet the deadline, but since then little progress has been made.
- NZPA
