Fiji Not Represented In New Zealand

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32379, 19 August 1970, Page 8

Fiji Not Represented In New Zealand

The Fijian Government has announced that after independence on October 10 this year the country will open diplomatic missions in three countries—but New Zealand, Fiji’s largest close neighbour, is not among them.

In June the New Zealand Government announced the appointment of Sir John Grace as New Zealand’s first Commissioner in Fiji. The Fijian missions will be in Canberra, London and New York. This will give it the largest diplomatic representation of the small,' new island States of the south-west Pacific.

So far eight persons have been named to staff the three missions and more appointments to the diplomatic service are expected. Fiji has maintained a Government representative’s office in Sydney for four years to act as a liaison office with the Australian Government when aid projects are being discussed, and to encourage Australian investment in Fiji. The new missions in Canberra and London will be concerned to ensure that there is a continuing flow of technical and financial assistance to Fiji. The mission in New York will be more concerned to represent Fiji at the United Nations than in the United States.

Through the United Nations Fiji will be able to maintain contact with diplomats from many other parts of the World without the expense of maintaining separate missions in each country. The mission at New York will also be looking for aid from United Nations agencies. The Chief Minister of Fiji (Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara) visited the United Nations in May on his return from the constitutional conference in London which set the date for Independence. Afterwards he announced that Fiji would seek United Nations membership after independence.

None of the other independent States in the South Pacific—Tonga, Western Samoa, Nauru and the Cook Islands—is represented at the United Nations, and Fijian politicians have suggested that Fiji could become the spokesman for the island committee there. At present New Zealand represents th’e interests of some of the islands in their external affairs.