The French government and the leaders of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) have agreed to send a team of leaders on a fact-finding mission to New Caledonia. This breakthrough came after talks at the Forum in Tonga.
The unrest was triggered by a proposed change to electoral laws, which indigenous Kanaks felt would dilute their rights. The violence resulted in burned businesses, blocked roads, and 11 people killed.
Despite the deployment of several hundred French forces flown in to regain control, sporadic non-violent protests have continued, and the political impasse has remained.
Before this year’s Forum, there were plans to send three Pacific Islands leaders, known as the troika, to investigate the situation. They were to report their findings to a plenary session, where all 18 leaders and observers from other countries would be present.
However, France reportedly insisted on having a veto over who the troika could meet, the presence of French government observers at every meeting, and control over the language used in the final report.
As a result, New Caledonia President Louis Mapou called off the mission.
However, during the Forum in Tonga, Mapou and the French Ambassador to the Pacific, Veronique Roger-Lacan, met and agreed on a new approach.
“Unfortunately, there has been a crisis in New Caledonia (and) we have had to manage this crisis,” Roger-Lacan said.
“We came here to reiterate the French state’s readiness to welcome this mission out of information sharing and transparency.
“We [now] have a first step, which was to agree on some terms of reference.”
SUBHED
Australian and New Zealand diplomats had been working to mediate forces on both sides of the divide to reach a compromise.Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said his bilateral meeting with Mapou was “really constructive,” and expects the mission to take place in September.
Albanese said New Caledonia had yet to formally ask for assistance rebuilding after the riots, but Australia “always will consider proposals to provide assistance to our Pacific neighbours.”
Mapou has also invited New Zeland’s Foreign Minister Winston Peters to visit, which Peters said would happen “sometime later this year.”
Peters emphasised the importance of both pro-French and pro-independence groups in New Caledonia reaching a resolution, with “self-determination” and “economic success” as key outcomes.
“Without that economic success, [New Caledonia] could become a cot case, and that’s our concern and [Mapou] shared it,” Peters said.
Peters said he was also seeking a meeting with the French to ensure discussions were had with what New Zealand considered an important development partner in the Pacific.
“The answer is most definitely to go to the boss in this case, and higher, and hopefully have a sensible, long-term dialogue,” Peters said.
New Zealand’s Prime Minister, Christopher Luxon, would not be drawn on New Zealand’s position, saying only that his government wanted to see “peace and prosperity across the region.”
“That requires us to have a very constructive dialogue with both parties and … they will ultimately be decisions for the New Caledonian people around their constitutional arrangements,” he said.
Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown expressed support for New Caledonia’s independence after meeting Mapou on Aug. 28.
“I was very pleased to meet with President Mapou and reassure him, in person, of the Cook Islands’ commitment to continuing to support New Caledonia as it navigates these challenging times,” he said.
“The Cook Islands’ own voyage to statehood and New Caledonia’s sustained quest for self-determination is a topic President Mapou, and I have discussed on various occasions, and I will continue to be available to assist and support New Caledonia’s efforts in the months ahead.”
He revealed he had invited Mapou to visit the Cook Islands “for a deeper appreciation of our experiences.”
Pacific Islands Forum chair and Tonga Prime Minister Hu’akavameiliku Siaosi Sovaleni said he was “very optimistic about having some kind of agreed path forward with New Caledonia.”
