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Fiji's military ruler has pledged to reduce the role of the army in investigating crime, following allegations of human rights abuses by his soldiers.
International concern has grown about human rights abuses in Fiji since Commodore Frank Bainimarama seized power in a military coup in December.
Soldiers have
been accused of beating suspects to suppress dissent and when investigating alleged crimes.
Bainimarama today responded to the allegations by promising to reduce the army's role in civil investigations and to review the presence of soldiers on the nation's streets.
He said the military would not condone the use of force.
Bainimarama said the military was "responsive to public views on abuse of human rights and privileges" and would try to ensure people could live their lives normally.
"There is no reason for us to get the tremendous work which we have done so far in rescuing this nation tainted with images of abuse and brutality," he said in a statement.
"As such, I have decided that the military will have less and less role in attending to and/or conducting investigations which are really the domain of the police and other law enforcement agencies.
"All previous cases involving abuse of human rights will be thoroughly investigated on an independent basis by the police and the Human Rights Commission," the statement said.
Aid
The European Union is threatening to withdraw about 200 million euros ($392.83 million) of aid to Fiji in the wake of the country's military coup.
In a statement today the EU said it has made clear its "strongest possible opposition" to actions that undermined democracy in Fiji.
Fiji military chief Commodore Frank Bainimarama seized power in Fiji in December, triggering sanctions against the country by Australia, New Zealand and the US.
The EU first flagged in January that it could suspend aid to Fiji.
Today the EU said it has called for consultation with representatives from the Fiji government and could suspend aid programmes in the country.
"If, following such consultations, acceptable solutions are not found, appropriate measures are taken," the statement says.
"Such measures can include the suspension, or partial suspension of EU-funded aid programmes, including -- in the case of Fiji -- suspension of the assistance to the sugar sector that, prior to the coup, the EU had committed itself to providing."
Myfanwy van de Velde, trade counsellor with the Delegation of the European Commission for the Pacific, said about 150 million euros of development aid and a further 50 million euros in assistance to the country's sugar industry could be affected.
The aid was to have been delivered between 2007 and 2013.
Van de Velde said the talks were expected to take place on March 26 in the Belgian capital Brussels where the EU administration is based, but the date was not yet confirmed.
She said Fiji had agreed to send its finance minister, the minister for foreign affairs and its attorney-general to the talks.
Bainimarama was not expected to attend, she said.
Van de Velde said the action was being taken because the EU believed the coup may have been a breach of the fundamental elements of the aid packages to the country.
She said a decision as to whether the aid would be suspended would probably not be known until a few weeks after the Brussels meeting.
"There is perhaps one series of talks, perhaps two series of talks and at the end of that in view of that an assessment is made of a country's readiness to return to democracy or non-readiness and on that basis a decision is taken as to the level of sanctions," she said.
"They will need to balance upholding of good governance and at the same time trying not to hurt the poor if you like. That will be their call," she said.
- AAP
