New Zealand FM disappointed by Fiji expulsion of diplomat

Fiji's decision to expel an Australian diplomat is disappointing and shows the country does not care about maintaining relations, New Zealand Foreign Minister Murray McCully said on Tuesday.

Fiji Foreign Minister Inoke Kubuabolo said Sarah Roberts, Australia's top diplomat in Fiji, was to be expelled for " unfriendly acts" which led regional leaders to axe a summit in the island nation.

The five-member Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG), which includes Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, said it was canceling this month's summit in military-run Fiji over concerns about democracy and "good governance".

"The Australian acting high commissioner, Ms Sarah Roberts, has been declared persona non grata," Kubuabolo said in a statement.

She is the second senior Australian diplomat to be expelled from Fiji in less than a year after the high commissioner and his New Zealand counterpart were removed last November over alleged interference in Fiji's judiciary.

McCully said the act was "completely unjustified and very disappointing".


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