NZ seeks more assurances from Nauru after protests

Transcript

New Zealand is to hold talks with Nauru following government moves against five opposition MPs.

The MPs who are suspended from parliament for criticising the government in international media have either had their passports cancelled, or are facing criminal charges following anti government protests in Nauru last week.

New Zealand's Foreign Minister Murray McCully told Sally Round he's concerned.

MURRAY MCCULLY:Look, I've seen the reports coming through in recent days and I've asked the ministry for a full update, but to say we are deeply concerned about the reports that have been coming out would be, I think, an understatement. The situation in Nauru obviously has been boiling for some time and this latest series of events, particularly around the restrictions being placed on members of parliament is something that I think will attract more significant international attention.

SALLY ROUND: What about New Zealand intervening here. Making a strong statement to the Nauru government?

MM: Well I'm waiting for a full report to come in first and certainly that's an option, but another option is obviously, to have a conversation with the Nauruan government. I'll be seeing the president of Nauru and possibly some of the other minister and the government there in the next 10 days or so. We're all due to be at a Pacific Islands Forum foreign ministers meeting, so I'll have the opportunity to talk directly, but if it looks appropriate for me to say something publicly in the meantime I certainly will contemplate that as well.

SR: What will you be saying to Baron Waqa, the president?

MM: Well let's wait to see all of the information come to hand, but obviously starting from the point that the New Zealand government funds the justice system in Nauru -- that's the niche contribution that we make -- Australia, of course, makes a much broader contribution there. Obviously there are aspects of the justice system that have a bearing on the events of recent days. I've previously had calls, as you may recall, to raise similar issues with them about the integrity of the justice system and their determination to rebuild international public confidence in the judicial systems in Nauru that followed the sacking of, or departure of a couple of judges. So I received some pretty strong assurances from the minister of justice and I'll be looking at the report I get from my officials to see if it matches up with the assurances that I've been given, we'll obviously have the conversation directly with Nauru when I attend that Pacific Islands meeting in 7-8 days time.  

SR: And is there a possibility of New Zealand withdrawing its funding for the judicial sector?

MM: Oh look, that would be getting ahead of things. New Zealand's contribution to Nauru is a small one, if we were to simply to depart the scene then that leaves the Australians carrying effectively all of the burden and it also means that we put under further pressure the judicial systems that we are already concerned about. So our starting point is always to try and find a way of dealing with the issues and finding a way forward rather than pulling the plug on what is not a very big development initiative, but we're concerned enough to be doing some serious homework on this and to be planning to have a pretty direct conversation with our Naruan colleagues.