by Tusi Tala, Staff Writer
Just 10 days ago, Paris approved the mission when France’s top diplomat in the area delivered a letter from President Emmanuel Macron to the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) chair and secretary-general in Suva. Forum leaders had requested in July for a Ministerial Committee to visit Nouméa to gather information from the conflicting parties in the ongoing crisis, which began on May 13, before the 53rd PIF Leaders’ Summit in Tonga, starting the following week. The Pacific mission, with PIF chair Mark Brown and Fiji’s Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, was scheduled for this week. However, New Caledonia’s pro-independence President Louis Mapou prefers to postpone the trip due to disagreements between Paris and the local government regarding the ultimate responsibility for the PIF mission. Congress President Roch Wamytan stated on Sunday that the French state has decided to independently control the mission’s scope, objectives, and eventual outcomes.
Wamytan expressed that when France’s permanent representative to the Pacific, Véronique Roger-Lacan, presented the letter to the Forum on August 10th, she emphasized that it was the French State’s obligation to organize the mission.
He noted that Roger-Lacan did not acknowledge that New Caledonia is a full member of the Forum, and that the request for the mission came from President Mapou.
“We believe that the French State is determining the mission’s objectives. We view this as an unacceptable form of disrespect. This approach is outdated and reminiscent of colonial practices.
“It is also troubling that three Oceanian heads of state would be received by a French high commissioner.
“Our Pacific home, the PIF, should not be treated with such little regard. This is why President Mapou declined to support this regressive behavior by the administrative authority towards a territory that is not self-governing.”
Wamytan mentioned that the PIF is dispatching a mission to one of its members, and the French government is using this as an opportunity to distance itself from any responsibility for the current situation.
“Therefore, President Mapou believes that the necessary conditions for a successful mission have not been met. Due to the lack of consideration and respect for the government of New Caledonia, it is usually more prudent to postpone the mission to a later date.”
Roger-Lacan stated on Sunday that “France is prepared to host such a mission at any time.”
