Hopes in Fiji that defiant military leader Frank Bainimarama will bury the hatchet with Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase appear dashed, with the military saying it has "given up" on the Government.A recording of Commodore Bainimarama's closed door address on Friday to Fiji's Great Council of Chiefs (GCC) revealed the military leader denouncing the Prime Minister's leadership and policies. "Mr Prime Minister, we've had enough of your lies," Commodore Bainimarama told Mr Qarase at the meeting, according to a copy of the recording received Saturday by AFP.
The emergency meeting of the Pacific island nation's traditional leaders was called in an attempt to broker a settlement between the two men. Although fears of a fourth military coup in Fiji in two decades have eased, tensions remain high. The military commander has kept up his verbal assaults on the premier, but backed away from threats to force him and the Government from office, accusing them of lies and corruption.