Leone Nakarawa allowed to participate in forthcoming Rugby World Cup in New Zealand
Leone Nakarawa, a Fijian Rugby Union player, has been exempted from the travel ban by New Zealand and will participate in the forthcoming Rugby World Cup 2011 despite travel sanctions on army related personals. The Fiji Rugby Union requested the New Zealand
government for a temporary redemption of travel bans regarding Leone Nakarawa and asked that he be allowed to travel to the country. In his statement to the local media, the Foreign and Sports Minister, Murray McCully, confirmed on August 19 that Fijian player
Nakarawa had been allowed to play the global showpiece, kicking off next month in New Zealand.
New Zealand government had banned Fijian military personnel from travelling to its soil since the military coup in Fiji took place in 2006. The issue was raised between the two host countries on time and again, however, every time negotiations ended in a
fiasco. The Fiji Rugby Union was seeking to allow its players to travel but the Kiwis stuck with their stand on the issue.
Even International Rugby Board was requested by the FRU to interfere in the matter to seek a flexible solution but New Zealand Prime Minister, John Key, has denied showing any flexibility in this regard. The Sports Minister Murray McCully was once reported
saying that banned means banned and no flexibility will be shown in this regard.
While in his fresh statement, McCully has said that, “The New Zealand Government will grant Nakarawa a temporary exemption from the travel sanctions. This allows him to travel to New Zealand to play for Fiji in the Rugby World Cup.”
He further said that, “While we would normally take a little longer to provide an exemption or lift the sanction in respect of a person resigning from the military, in this case we agreed to act more quickly given the particular nature of the request.”
The latest move by New Zealand will help normalise the adverse relations of the neighbouring countries. Fiji and New Zealand have had daggers drawn since the military staged a coup in Pacific Nation state in 2006.
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