SUVA (Radio NZ International/Pacific Media Watch): The Prime Minister of Fiji says it is not right to dangle funding as an inducement to keep New Zealand and Australia as members of the Pacific Islands Forum, Radio NZ International reports.
Voreqe Bainimarama has reiterated his stance that Fiji will not go to the leaders' summit in Papua New Guinea in September unless there are changes in the membership of the Forum.
New Zealand Prime Minister John Key has called the Fiji leader's views on New Zealand and Australian membership a joke, saying Bainimarama is mouthing off.
But Bainimarama has told Auckland-based Radio Tarana that Key's claims about funding just show how poor the relationship is.
"They only see our relationship is to do with funding and that is their outlook on what our relationship is in the Forum, to dangle funding in front of us. Then obviously that is a poor view of what our relationship should be like."
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Pacific Media Watch
