KEY POINTS:
Fiji's coup leader Frank Bainimarama has been the talk of the Pacific Islands Forum including the welcome he received at the opening of the forum yesterday in Tonga.
But until last night he has refused to answer such questions as did he feel as though he had been
treated like a rockstar or a leper.
(This was Helen Clark's rather askew prediction a few months back when he first said he would be attending).
Last night he talked to Fiji reporters including the Fiji Times where he insisted he was not a star.
"They say it was like a rock star appearance but really it was about the people of Tonga because they understood. They understand what is happening home and it came to the fore. "
Asked about the calls of other countries to commit to an election by March 2009 he said: "I don't really know what else to do. I get very disappointed when people want concrete proof of that we are heading for the polls. What other evidence do we need. We have had the census, the boundaries commission has been announced. We are all systems go. What else do they need. Do they want us to have elections tomorrow? What else do they want us to do to show them concrete evidence."
"We are going to have the polls in 2009 and the government is firm on that. "
He said the sanctions against Fiji were working and "hurting Fiji" and that he wanted genuine dialogue with Australia and New Zealand.
"I am not here to force anything on anyone. I'm here to listen and hopefully people will come on our side. "
"There is not much I can do if Helen Clark does not want to meet me. If she doesn't want to talk as she has said there is really nothing I can do. What I want to say is that the door is still open and we have nothing to hide.
"We have come a long way and that is what we want to tell the Forum and there is still a long way to go and we just need patience and understanding of the international community to help us forge ahead with our goals. "
"It is a disappointing that she does not want to talk to me but I thought in the spirit of the forum dialogue (that) would be the way to go."
Commenting on the opening ceremony which involved 1000 schoolgirls sitting in the pouring rain for three hours, the commander said: "It was an impressive show of discipline by the people of Tonga especially the schoolgirls.
"I felt that that was what was missing, a bit of discipline in our lives. I, like everyone else, was impressed with the way they love the King."
