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New Zealand is to host 11th-hour talks aimed at fending off a coup in Fiji.
Fiji Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase will fly to New Zealand this afternoon.
He will meet military commander Commmodore Voreqe (Frank) Bainimarama, in talks facilitated by New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters.
Cdre Bainimarama
was already in Wellington, for the christening of a granddaughter.
Fiji's Ministry of Information and Communications has put out a statement confirming the visit.
In the statement Mr Qarase said he would travel to New Zealand this afternoon on the "special mission" of talks tomorrow.
He said he was grateful to New Zealand's Government for arranging and facilitating the talks.
"I have always said that I am ready to meet directly with Commodore Bainimarama, and to do so with an open mind," he said.
"I am ready to listen to the commander on the concerns of the military."
Mr Peters has met with Cdre Bainimarama this week and over the weekend.
A spokesman for Mr Peters confirmed the meeting.
"We offered to host the talks between the two and both parties have now accepted and that's going to take place tomorrow."
In a joint statement, Prime Minister Helen Clark and Mr Peters said Mr Qarase would travel to New Zealand on an RNZAF Boeing and that Cdre Bainimarama had agreed to stay on in Wellington.
"New Zealand has been concerned for some time at the escalating tensions between the Fijian Government and military," they said.
"Our efforts over the last few days have been directed towards encouraging direct dialogue between the Fijian Government and military."
The discussions would be at Government House in Wellington and Mr Peters would attend.
"We are delighted that both the prime minister and the commodore have agreed to meet face-to-face.
"There are difficult and long-standing issues between the Fijian Government and military but it is positive that the parties have agreed to meet.
"The nature of any outcome from the meeting is, of course, up to the two parties. However, the immediate economic and social future of Fiji depends on the result."
The talks come as tensions reached a new height.
New Zealand High Commission staff in Suva were evacuated following threats to its staff members and Fiji Police Commissioner Andrew Hughes was to return to Australia after threats against him.
Observers have speculated that a coup could be imminent.
Embattled Fiji Police Commissioner Andrew Hughes earlier said he would welcome any help from New Zealand.
"We need help from all quarters, we're open to any suggestions," Mr Hughes, an Australian, said today.
Mr Hughes said that he was returning to Australia after threats against him. His family were already back home.
"There's a real and credible threat from the coup plotters in the barracks to have me taken in," he told National Radio.
The military in Fiji were patrolling the capital, he said.
"It's very strange to see guys with automatic weapons and battle kit wandering around CBD areas - it's causing a bit of alarm."
He said the Australian police were not armed and if there was any confrontation with the military, they would need to deal with it through mediation.
"Under the present leadership it's aggressive, it's resistant to any approaches from civil authority, it sees itself above the law, above process, so it's a very difficult situation we find ourselves in but we're holding the line.
"We have work to do here and other business to get on with and we're certainly doing that."
He said the police force was getting "very good" support from the government.
"They're right behind me. They are right behind the rule of law and the role of police. I can't complain about that at all, it's been magnificent."
Mr Hughes said when Cdre Bainimarama returned he would not be arrested.
Fiji's Director Public Prosecutions is considering whether charges of sedition should be laid against Cdre Bainamarama and several of his senior officers.
"We're still awaiting advice from the public prosecution in respect of the briefs of evidence that has gone over so it's premature from that point anyway."
Mr Hughes was not sure whether a sedition charge against Cdre Bainimarama should be dropped.
"That's really a question that falls in the lap of the DPP. One of the things that he has to consider is not just the sufficiency of evidence, but also the public interest, and that's a valid criteria that he has to apply to every prosecution."
- NZPA
