KEY POINTS:
Prime Minister Helen Clark today vowed that further sanctions against Fiji would be considerable and she urged New Zealanders to reconsider before taking up cheap holidays.
Miss Clark told reporters that Cabinet today talked about the response to the expulsion of High Commissioner Michael Green and decisions would
take about a week.
"There are some other things that can be done," she said.
"What Fiji's done is a serious and significant act. Our response must be serious and significant and we are not going to be rushed into that."
Fiji's interim Prime Minister Commodore Voreqe (Frank) Bainimarama accused Mr Green of interfering in Fiji's domestic affairs -- a charge New Zealand rejects.
"We see this action as a lashing out which has being driven by the commodore personally," Miss Clark said.
"There is no rhyme or reason to it. As a result of this action affecting us we are putting the whole relationship under review."
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade would coordinate talks with officials from departments including defence, police, immigration and NZAID about what further action could be taken.
"We've asked them to do a very thorough review of the relationship and what else might be done," Miss Clark said.
"I must stress it is not business as usual. Fiji's provocative act makes it absolutely clear that there should not be business as usual."
Following the December 5 coup New Zealand condemned the overthrow of the democratically elected government under Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase, and imposed sanctions which included suspending aid, banning sporting contacts and visits from Government members and other measures.
Since then Fiji has been excluded from a Pacific seasonal employment scheme, migration quota and New Zealand has continued to push for fresh elections and put international pressure on Fiji.
"We will be going back again to the UN pointing out the great irony of Fiji personnel being deployed to troubled countries in an endeavour to bring peace and security when their own is exactly such a country which is troubled and doesn't enjoy peace and security at this time," Miss Clark said.
Fiji has been excluded from the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands since the coup.
The Government believed sanctions had been putting Fiji's leadership under pressure, Fiji's economy was "crumbling" and all eyes would be on it when Fiji's Cabinet considered a joint working group of Fiji and the Pacific Islands Forum finding that elections could be held next year.
"I think this lashing out has come because of the very severe pressure that the regime has been put under," said Miss Clark.
She would give no clues to what further sanctions would be but she continued to discourage New Zealanders from visiting saying resentment against Mr Green could become more general.
She urged Kiwis not to be lured by discount holiday offers.
"The question is whether people want to take that bargain or look at some of the wider factors. The reality is one of our fellow citizens, who was doing his job expressing the values of New Zealanders about the importance of constitutional government and process, had been treated in a ridiculous and horrible way and I don't think we should take that lightly."
Miss Clark would not be drawn on whether she would boycott the Pacific Islands Forum in Tonga in October if Cdre Bainimarama attended.
"I am not really going to answer hypothetical questions."
Fiji's Cabinet decided on June 7 to expel Mr Green and has since decided to pull its own representatives out of New Zealand, Australia and the United Kingdom.
Cdre Bainimarama was angry when Mr Green, "the enemy of the day" was offered a VIP seat at a recent rugby game and he was not.
He denied that was the reason for the expulsion but Miss Clark believed it was crucial: "The rugby match may well have been the tipping point."
Miss Clark said no consideration now or in the "foreseeable future" was being given to appointing a replacement for Mr Green.
- NZPA
