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 | | Prime Minister Qarase has urged Fijians to 'stand up' against military threats |
The commander of Fiji's armed forces says he now has a "green light" for a takeover of the government after the prime minister failed to meet his demands.
Commodore Frank Bainimarama had imposed a deadline of noon on Friday for the government to concede or face what he called a "clean-up".
In a radio interview broadcast on Friday, Laisenia Qarase, the Fijian prime minister, said he could make no further concessions to the military and urged Fijians to "stand up" against military threats.
"We don't want a dictator," Qarase said in the interview broadcast on Fiji's Legend FM.
After the military's deadline had passed, the same radio station quoted Bainimarama as saying that as the government had not agreed to his demands he would decide when to move in.
The military leader has demanded the government abandon several contentious bills, call police off a sedition investigation into senior military officers, and take action on a range of other demands.
Dispute Bainimarama's key demands And end of investigations into his activities and other army officers. Removal of Andrew Hughes, Fiji's police commissioner, an Australian. Dropping of sedition charges against him. Dropping of land rights bills No foreign intervention in the country.
Bainimarama is also demanding that the government drop two land rights bills that he says would unfairly favour Fiji's indigenous majority over the large ethnic Indian minority.
The military has called up reservists as fears mount that a coup is imminent.
On Thursday Qarase said he was prepared to offer certain concessions to the military, but that offer was swiftly rejected by Bainimarama as not going far enough.Later, Qarase told Australia’s ABC radio was not afraid of Bainimarama's threats and that talks with "very prominent people'' were under way that could bring the crisis to a peaceful end.
"There is a big split in the army ... it could well be a factor,'' he said.
In Canberra, Mark Vaile, Australia's acting prime minister, said he would "consider very seriously'' any request from the Fiji government to send troops to try to prevent a coup.
Outside powers warned  | | The Fijian military has called up reservists as fears mount that a coup is imminent |
Australia currently has three naval ships stationed near Fiji, although Bainimarama has repeatedly warned outside powers against intervening in Fiji's internal affairs.
Meanwhile, the US has expressed its concern at military threats to overthrow Fiji's democratically elected government, warning that aid to the country could be cut if a coup occurs.
The Fijian capital, Suva, was reported to be largely calm on Friday, but many offices were closed. An annual sports day between the military and armed forces went ahead as usual at the national stadium.
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