The French overseas minister Sebastien Lecornu is travelling to New York for talks with the United Nations decolonisation after New Caledonia’s rejection of independence.
In December, more than 96 percent of voters rejected independence in the third and final referendum within the Noumea Accord, which was marked by a majority of voters abstaining.
The vote in December was boycotted by the pro-independence parties after Paris rejected concerns about the impact of the pandemic and refused to postpone the plebiscite.
The minister said at the UN, he wants to take stock of New Caledonia’s exemplary voting process and discuss the perspectives which have opened after the referendums in 2018, 2020 and 2021.
Pro-independence politicians visited the UN days before the last referendum, with their parties rejecting the referendum outcome as illegitimate.
Paris plans to hold another referendum in June next year about a new statute for a New Caledonia within France.
Political parties and civil society are being encouraged to make suggestions.
Pro-independence parties have said they will not enter negotiations with France until after this year’s French elections.
New Caledonia has been on the UN decolonisation list since 1986.
J’ai rendu compte devant l’@UN des dernières étapes du processus institutionnel pour l’avenir de la Nouvelle-Calédonie. Il est de notre responsabilité de coopérer avec nos partenaires internationaux sur ces sujets dans un cadre multilatéral. pic.twitter.com/dGT5dIJRNw
— Sébastien Lecornu (@SebLecornu) February 8, 2022
SOURCE: RNZ PACIFIC/ PACNEWS
