France delivered a diplomatic but tough lesson in democracy and tolerance to the Pacific on Tuesday when its Overseas Territories Minister Christian Paul appeared before the Pacific Islands Forum dialogue session in Kiribati.
The Forums 16 leaders attended a summit over the weekend, followed by the dialogue sessions with major powers and aid donors.
During the forum interim Fiji Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase told leaders that France and the European Union had accepted Fijis "roadmap" back to democracy following the May 19 coup.
The EU has, however, made it clear it does not accept the plans and Paul told the dialogue that Fiji and a coup in the Solomon Islands had damaged the image of the Pacific.
"At the very beginning of the crisis my government and the European Union gave clear voice to their serious concern with respect to the events in Fiji and they called for a rapid return to a democratic and constitutional order ...
"And I must say that our stance in this respect remains unchanged."
Fijis coup saw a democratically elected ethnic Indian government overthrown by indigenous Fijians.
Paul told the Forum that there could be no lasting stability without democracy or coexistence of communities without tolerance and mutual respect.
France had been in the Pacific a long time and was in "profound sympathy" with the region, knowing its intellect, feelings and policies.
"Far be it from us to try to impose pat solutions or to transpose blueprints taken from elsewhere," he said.
He said France knew this from its experience with New Caledonia.
"We know that all communities have specific rights to recognition of fair access to economic and social development.
"We know that each of them has legitimate aspirations to the preservation of its traditional cultural values.
"But the recognition of these specificities should, in our view, be handled in a spirit of open dialogue, in the full light of democratic debate and in compliance with the principles of the equality of all before the law, without distinction of race, religion or opinion" -- AUCKLAND (AFP)
© 2000 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
