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SUVA - Fiji's acting military commander says the armed forces are not intent on staging a coup in the South Pacific nation.
Captain Esala Telani said he had met with Fiji Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase this morning but would not say what the two discussed.
Later, he told a parade of 1000 soldiers and reservists at Suva's Queen Elizabeth Barracks that the armed forces were "not here" to stage a coup.
"Let me reassure you and everyone ... we're not here to to conduct a coup...
"Forget it, we're not here for that."
Armed forces commander Commodore Voreqe (Frank) Bainimarama, currently overseas, has prompted fears of a coup by threatening to force Qarase to quit.
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Telani today repeated Cdre Bainimarama's assurances that the military would not stage a coup, saying the commander had assured him everything was normal.
"Although the commander is away, his thoughts, his mind and his blessings are with us," he said.
In a Biblical allusion, Telani told the parade: "We have to stand up to the spirit of death".
In his speech, Telani also said the military was the last bastion of law and order under Fiji's constitution, not the police.
The military and police leaderships have been engaged in a dispute over the armed seizure by the military this week of a shipment of ammunition from Suva's docks.
Police Commissioner, Australian-born Andrew Hughes says the removal was unlawful and has questioned the integrity of the acting military leader.
"I also question now the integrity of the police commissioner," Telani told reporters.
He denied the military had given Qarase a three-week deadline, ending today, to withdraw controversial legislation or resign.
"We are not saying we are going to conduct a coup. We're not saying that.
"I'm just saying we will keep pressing the government."
He also encouraged tourists not to stay away from the Pacific nation.
"I'm confident and reassure the people of Fiji and the world - come to Fiji for a holiday."
- AAP
