Last bid to solve Fiji crisis fails

Press, 6 October 1987, Page 1

Last bid to solve Fiji crisis fails

NZPA-AAP Lautoka Eleventh-hour talks aimed at solving Fiji’s political crisis failed yesterday, the Alliance Party accepting but the Coalition rejecting the “minimum demands" of the military leader, Colonel Sltivenl Rabuka. Fiji’s Governor-General, Ratu Sir Penaia Ganllau, said in a statement after yesterday afternoon’s talks that he would now have to act In his own “deliberate judgment" The meeting, at the Gover-nor-General’s bure (house) in the western centre of Lautoka, 221 km from Suva, considered demands by Colonel Rabuka which Included majority representation In Parliament for Fijians, key Ministries to be reserved for Fijians, and Christianity to be the country’s official religion. Dr Tlmoci Bavadra’s month-old Government, ousted In May in the first of Colonel Rabuka’s two coups, had a majority of Indian members. The Indians, Hindus and Muslims, slightly outnumber the Christian ethnic Fijians in the nation of 715,999. Yesterday’s talks involved delegations from the Coalition and the Alliance, headed by

Dr Bavadra and Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, the Gover-nor-General and Colonel Rabuka — who had said earlier he would declare a republic if they failed. Dr Bavadra, speaking at his home village of Vlseisei after the meeting, said the Coalition stood by the terms of an accord for a caretaker Government reached with the Alliance two days before the second coup of September 25, and was not prepared to move from that position. Colonel Rabuka spent only about 40 minutes at yesterday’s talks during which he reiterated his demands for constitutional change to entrench the political power of indigenous Fijians. He sought assurances of acceptance of his demands and the parallel proposals of the Great Council of Chiefs. “If he obtained this assurance he would return executive authority to the Governor-General who would be free to appoint an interim administration," said a statement released after the meeting. When the Coalition refused to accept his proposals, he left the meeting, the statement said.