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Rémi Bastille, Frédéric Potier and Eric Thiers were appointed to resume political dialogue in New Caledonia.
photo: supply
The “Dialogue Delegation” established by French President Emmanuel Macron during his term in office Visited New Caledonia two weeks ago Reported to have left French Pacific territory.
this Mission “Mediation and Work” It is composed of three senior civil servants (Eric Thiers, Frédéric Potier and Rémi Bastille), all of whom had previously been in charge of New Caledonia affairs.
According to local media reports, the three left New Caledonia in the middle of this week and went to Paris to “report” on the progress of the mission. They said they planned to return to New Caledonia soon.
In the first two weeks of their visit, they reportedly held closed-door meetings with around 100 political, economic and civil society leaders.
They are believed to have suspended work in response to the announcement by the pro-independence umbrella group FLNKS (National Liberation Front of Kanak Socialists), which comprises several pro-independence political parties, that it would hold a national congress on June 15.
The main item on the group’s agenda is to announce a common position Serious civil unrest in New Caledoniastarting on May 13 Protest against planned amendments to the French ConstitutionSeven people have died in the unrest, including two French police officers.
Emmanuel Macron visited New Caledonia at the end of May.
photo: Provide/Media Pool
The amendment aims to “unfreeze” New Caledonia’s electoral rolls for local elections, allowing any citizen who has lived there for at least 10 years to vote in provincial and parliamentary elections.
Supporters of the independence movement see it as a way to dilute the Indigenous vote and thus weaken their political representation.
State of emergency The end of May lifted in the region But the security force of more than 3,000 people may remain until after the Paris Olympics.
Caledonian Union refuses to meet with dialogue group
Faced with growing rifts within the Kanak National Liberation Front, one of the main components of the party, the Caledonian Union, issued a statement on Wednesday saying that “under the current circumstances, it does not wish to meet with the dialogue delegation (…)”.
The statement said talks with the French dialogue delegation were possible, but only after the FLNKS holds its congress and the final approval process for the constitutional amendments is cancelled.
“We believe that such a statement is the only way to achieve sustainable de-escalation of the situation in New Caledonia,” the group said.
France has sent armoured trucks into New Caledonia to help keep the peace.
photo: AFP/Emmanuel Dunant
The United University also called for the “unification” of the independence movement.
The more moderate Kanak National Front had previously written to three members of the French dialogue delegation, asking Macron to “clarify” his position on the proposed constitutional amendment.
He had previously suggested it could be put to the French people in a referendum, which caused an uproar in New Caledonia.
Macron later said he had “only mentioned the options available under the French constitution” and that it was “a mere interpretation of the law, not its intention”.
The FLNKS said Macron’s intentions were not clear enough and his comments did not guarantee the reforms would be abandoned.
The group said the chaos “makes it impossible for our militants to accept calls for calm and consolation.”
Philippe Gomès, leader of the Caledonian Moderate party, also called for an end to the legislative process to restore law and order.
He told local media the unrest had left the economy “in tatters.”
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