France has sharply rejected accusations that it undermined decolonisation in New Caledonia and says it’s still deciding when a high-level Pacific delegation will be permitted to visit the territory.
The Pacific Islands Forum has been pressing Paris to allow the leaders of Fiji, Tonga and Cook Islands to visit the French territory — which is still grappling with unrest in the wake of riots in May — ahead of the PIF leaders meeting in the Tongan capital Nuku’alofa late next month.
Both the Melanesian Spearhead Group and New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Winston Peters have also ramped up criticism of the third and final referendum in New Caledonia, where loyalists won an overwhelming victory after a boycott by pro-independence voters.
Violent civil unrest broke out in New Caledonia’s capital Noumea more than two months ago, leading to curfews and a state of emergency.(AP Photo: Nicolas Job)
