C.H.O.G.M. leaves way open for Fiji

Press, 19 October 1987, Page 1

C.H.O.G.M. leaves way open for Fiji

By

Tom Bridgman,

of NZPA in Vancouver

The Commonwealth decision that Fiji’s membership had “lapsed” and to offer the conditional chance of readmittance was good, said the Prime Minister of Britain, Margaret Thatcher, today.

“Most of us, and this certainly applies to Britain, wanted to find a way to keep open the option of Commonwealth membership for

Fiji, and that is what we were able to do,” she said. “We hope that over the coming months an acceptable arrangement will be found in Fiji which preserves their country’s tradition of democracy and enables it to make a successful application for Commonwealth membership.” Fiji’s automatic removal from the Commonwealth, lowering the membership of the group of former British colonies to 48, was confirmed by Commonwealth leaders at their private retreat during the Heads of Government meeting on Friday. The official conference communique made no mention of that, referring instead to the agreed statement read then by the Prime Minister of Canada, Brian Mulroney. In that, Commonwealth leaders acknowledged that on the basis of established conventions Fiji’s membership lapsed with the emergence of the republic on Octo-

ber 15, the day the Queen announced she had accepted the resignation of the Governor-Gen-eral, Ratu Sir Penaia Ganilau. , They said that the Commonwealth hoped for a resolution of the Fiji problem by the people of the island nation “on a basis consistent with the principles that have guided the Commonwealth.” The Commonwealth would, if requested, be ready to offer its “good offices” towards such a resolution “and, on such basis, if the circumstances warrant, to consider the question of Fiji’s membership of the Commonwealth if asked to do so,” the statement said. Every country would have to agree to Fiji returning to the fold and both the Prime Minister, Mr Lange, and the Prime Minister of India, Rajiv Gandhi, have made clear they would oppose that unless there was a full return to democracy for all. “It is not for us to decide precisely the constitutional structure for that,” said Mrs Thatcher who had early in the conference been one arguing for Fiji to remain in the Commonwealth as a way of assisting it through its

troubles. Mrs Thatcher made it clear that Britain would not accept a military government in Fiji. “That would not do for a reapplication,” she said. India had made it very clear that Fiji could not be a Commonwealth member “if there are any racial overtones to its Government or Constitution,” Mr Gandhi said. Mr Lange said he was the one who used the word “lapsed” to describe Fiji’s Commonwealth status. He argued at the retreat, as did others, that there was no valid application for readmission and that Fiji would be poorly advised to make a formal application now. “Because the only evidence we have of their proposals is that they would be repugnant to a number of countries within the Commonwealth because the voting would be based on race,” The carefully worded statement on Fiji had eventually been agreed "because the word lapsed doesn’t imply any judgment on the part of the Commonwealth.” Further reports, page 4