Patrick
Decloitre, Correspondent French Pacific
Desk
After four days of continuous talks with New
Caledonia’s political forces, French Minister for Overseas
Manuel Valls has returned to Paris Tuesday, without any deal
as yet regarding the French Pacific territory’s political
future.
As he left Nouméa, Valls told local media the
positive point is that just like during his earlier visit
which ended on 1 March, all parties of the political
landscape, both pro-France and pro-independence, were once
again part of the series of round tables.
Since he
arrived at the weekend, the crucial talks took place at the
French High Commission behind closed doors “to preserve the
integrity” of its contents.
Upon leaving New
Caledonia, Valls said after the fresh round of talks there
was “reasonable optimism”.
“I think now, we can
advance on the basis of a text which, yes, I admit, has to
remain confidential,” he said.
“This is a lesson I
learnt from Michel Rocard.”
Rocard, as a French Prime
Minister in 1988, managed to mediate peace talks between
pro-France and pro-independence leaders Jacques Lafleur and
Jean-Marie Tjibaou.
At the time, Valls, then 26 years
old, was a member of Rocard’s team, as a young
attaché.
The final document at the time, known as the
“Matignon-Oudinot Accords” put an end to half a decade of a
bloody quasi civil war.
Advertisement – scroll to continue reading
“I have to remain optimistic.
There’s no other solution. New Caledonia’s situation is
still extremely difficult. Economically, it is on its
knees.”
He also said he was “very worried” about New
Caledonia’s current social situation, almost one year after
the deadly riots that caused 14 dead, hundreds of injured
and a total damage of some 2.2 billion Euros.
“I see
the number of homeless is spiralling, people who are
jobless, children who are no longer going to school and
others who can no longer afford to pay for the school
canteen. And a health system that is on the verge of
collapse”, he told public broadcaster Nouvelle-Calédonie La
Première.
“I’m worried because the fractures are
still there. So are the coals. And we all know there’s a lot
of weapons circulating. (Violence) can start at any time.
Each word is carefully weighed”, he said.
The four-day
talks, which lasted from 29 March to 1 April (2025) are now
described at this stage as “discussions in preparation of
negotiations” which should lead to “a third sequence” to be
held again in Nouméa “starting from 29 April 2025”, an
official document presented as a “common declaration of the
parties involved” stated.
“The objective of this
sequence will be to reach a comprehensive agreement on New
Caledonia’s institutional future”, based on the latest draft
agreement handed over by Valls on Sunday 30 March
2025.
“Without a political agreement, New Caledonia is
heading right into the wall”.
Valls described the
talks as “frank”.
“The fact that they are speaking to
each other, are respecting each other and agree to new talks
with me from 29 April onwards show there is a genuine will”,
he commented.
He did not deny there were sometimes
“outbursts”.
“But we are moving forward”.
Hopes
for an agreement ‘by the end of April’
About future
talks and the timeline, Valls said now, after this “decisive
step” was taken, a comprehensive political agreement had to
be reached “by the end of (April)”.
A draft document
was handed to all political parties at the weekend, as a
basis for future discussions.
Participants have
remained elusive as to the contents and the points discussed
during the four days.
“Of course, the differences are
still there, on many topics: self-determination, transfer of
powers from France, citizenship or electoral roll. But I am
now convinced an agreement is possible”.
Valls said
between now and his next trip to New Caledonia, in 28 days,
exchanges with his team would be maintained on a remote
basis, including via video conference, on specific
topics.
Reactions from participants
In very
short statements, participants to the talks reacted
laconically to the latest round.
Pro-France Les
Loyalistes leader and Southern province President Sonia
Backès said she had mixed feelings about the lack of a
conclusive outcome.
“It was to be expected” because
“each one’s positions are very far apart”.
“But we’re
moving step by step on a number of things. And we have told
each other what needed to be said”.
She said she felt
there was a “general will to find this agreement and the
compromise that will allow New Caledonia to rebuild
itself”.
Pro-independence figure, on behalf of the
Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front (FLNKS),
Emmanuel Tjibaou, said the discussions were “cordial and
frank, at times passionate”.
He acknowledged the
“spirit” that prevailed during the four days of
debates.
But he stressed that his political block was
tied to its commitment to “those who have given us their
mandate”.
During his four-day visit, Valls also met
with representatives of the economic and civil society as
well as students.
What are the topics
discussed?
The main pillars of those political
discussions are the definition of New Caledonia’s future
links with France, possible future transfer of powers from
France to New Caledonia, a future New Caledonian
citizenship, and the related question of who is eligible to
vote at local elections, governance and a “project” for New
Caledonia’s society.
On the table is also the general
question of New Caledonia’s future status in relation to
France: from “shared sovereignty” to “full independence”
and, in between, a status quo or a “free association”, or
any other yet-to-be-defined proposal.
On the
pro-independence side, the recently-elected President of the
Union Calédonienne, Emmanuel Tjibaou, said they want a
quick independence, with a “Kanaky Accord” to be signed this
year, to be followed by a five-year “transition”
period.
On the other side of the political spectrum,
outspoken leader and French National Assembly MP Nicolas
Metzdorf repeatedly objected to debating New Caledonia’s
“link” with France, a topic he and his camp consider
irrelevant.
Metzdorf’s position, followed by a large
part of the pro-France camp, is that between 2018 and 2021,
three referendums have been held on self-determination and
they have all rejected the notion of New Caledonia’s
independence.
However, the third and latest poll in
December 2021 was boycotted by a large part of the
pro-independence voters.
The two most prominent
pro-France parties, Rassemblement-LR and Les Loyalistes,
have also reiterated that they were “holding tight” to their
perceived fundamentals.
During future talks, they
reject any notion that would fall “outside the framework of
the French Republic”.
Moderate pro-independence PALIKA
(Kanak Liberation Party) leader Jean-Pierre Djaïwé said
the most pressing issue, in his view, was to deal with the
issue of New Caledonia’s future relationship with
France.
“We cannot envisage this country’s future
without everyone. We really need to live together and
understand each other,” Djaïwé told pro-France Radio
Rythme Bleu last week.
“But unfortunately, too often,
we often live not together, but next to one
another.
“Let’s work together to bring our country to
full sovereignty, in partnership with France.”
Another
moderate pro-independence party, the Union Progressiste en
Mélanésie (UPM) leader Victor Tutugoro told a recent rally
that they favoured entering into negotiations for a “shared
future” “in partnership with France”.
Both PALIKA and
UPM, since September 2024, have openly distanced themselves
(saying they “do not recognise themselves” in the Union
Calédonienne’s radical approach) and are no longer taking
part in the FLNKS pro-independence political
bureau.
New Caledonia should be “more active in its
region”
On Tuesday, he paid a visit to the French
Naval forces base in Nouméa’s Pointe Chaleix, which
harbours the vessels used in regular Pacific tours, either
for humanitarian assistance or for fishing surveillance
patrols.
“I wish for New Caledonia to be more active
in its region and all the neighbouring Island States, like
Vanuatu. On the military, diplomatic, economic, scientific
research levels”.
“New Caledonia is not isolated; it
is at the heart of the Pacific Ocean, on the Indo-Pacific
axis, at the forefront of the planet’s future. Where there
is an economic (and not only) confrontation between the
United States and China. This is about France and the
European Union’s presence.”
“I hope that during my
future visits to the region, I will be able to travel to a
whole series of countries”, he
said.
New Zealand’s public broadcaster, providing comprehensive NZ news and current affairs, specialist audio features and documentaries.
Radio New Zealand is a Crown entity established under the Radio New Zealand Act 1995. Radio New Zealand News are vital elements in our programming, providing impartial news and information to New Zealanders every day. Radio New Zealand (RNZ) provides listeners with exciting and independent radio programmes in accordance with the Radio New Zealand Charter.
