Leaders cordial as Morrison drinks in Fiji welcome

Scott Morrison and his Fijian counterpart have agreed that terrorist Neil Prakash will die in jail.

Scott Morrison receives a ceremonial greeting at Nausori Airport. Picture: AAP

Scott Morrison and his Fijian counterpart have agreed that ­terrorist Neil Prakash will die in jail and never set foot in the South Pacific nation, avoiding a stoush during the Prime Minister’s first visit to Suva.

Mr Morrison said the citizenship status of Prakash was not raised in yesterday’s meeting with Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama, despite Fiji rejecting Australia’s claim Prakash is a Fijian citizen.

In dialogue before yesterday’s meeting, Mr Morrison and Mr Bainimarama decided their disagreement over Prakash’s citizenship should not come between them as the terrorist would spend his life in an international jail or be extradited and tried in Australia.

The Morrison government last month revoked Prakash’s Australian citizenship because he was a dual Fijian citizen, a claim denied by Mr Bainimarama.

“He did not raise it with me, ­because this matter had already been dealt with before our meetings today,” Mr Morrison said.

“We’re here about a much bigger partnership and we’ve been able to work through those issues and move forward and I think that’s a tremendous thing.

“We will continue to act in ­accordance with our laws and the Fijian government will act in ­accordance with theirs.”

In yesterday’s visit to Fiji, the first in 13 years from an Australian prime minister, Mr Morrison unveiled the Fiji-Australia Vuvale partnership, which will include ­co-operation on defence, policing ­intelligence and trade.

“This is really a centrepiece partnership in the Pacific, which speaks volumes about the type of relationship Australia is now looking to establish right across this ­region,” Mr Morrison said.

“An economic relationship which sees Fiji very much as a hub in the Pacific economy.”

The two nations will also hold more ministerial meetings, while Australia will provide further ­assistance to Fiji’s border security agencies, help fund sporting programs and allow Fijians to take part in the Pacific Labour Scheme.

Before yesterday’s bilateral meeting, Fiji’s director of immigration, Nemani Vuniwaqa, said the Prakash citizenship debacle was not an issue.

“It is a non-issue because he is not a Fijian citizen. We would be dealing with it if he was a Fiji ­citizen. Full stop. If he is not a ­Fijian citizen then it is a non-issue,” Mr Vuniwaqa told Sky News.

Mr Vuniwaqa would not criticise the Morrison government for claiming the terrorist was Fijian.

“The Australian government has its way of handling things. I would not say it was badly handled by them. It is how it was handled and we will leave it at that,” he said.

Opposition legal affairs spokesman Mark Dreyfus urged Mr Morrison to apologise to Mr Bainimarama. “Mr Morrison has to apologise to our friends in Fiji for the extraordinary conduct in relation to Neil Prakash and the way in which Mr Morrison’s government has told Fiji its own citizenship law,” he said.

“He can only have ceased to have been an Australian citizen if he is a citizen of another country and the country selected by Mr Morrison’s government, Fiji, has said in unequivocal terms that Neil Prakash is not a citizen of Fiji.”