French President Emmanuel Macron opened a summit attended by political and economic leaders and representatives of civil society in New Caledonia to discuss the future of the French territory a year after deadly unrest rocked the archipelago, French media reported on Thursday.
At Macron’s invitation, elected officials and representatives of various sectors of New Caledonia gathered at the summit in Paris. The presidential approach “aims to establish a dialogue that guarantees a lasting political, social and cultural balance adapted to the realities of Caledonia,” the Elysée Palace confirmed. The aim is to resume institutional, economic and social discussions in the territory, which is still reeling from the violence in May 2024 that left 14 people dead and cost more than 15% of its GDP.
However, the content and schedule of the “Summit on the Future of New Caledonia” still remain unclear. “Hybrid” sessions with economic, social and civil stakeholders are expected to be held over the weekend.
“In the country, we are asking a lot of questions about the relevance of this format,” pro-independence MP Emmanuel Tjibaou said.
The head of state wanted to resume dialogue after the failure of talks in May, when delegations of independence supporters and loyalists left without reaching an agreement after three days of “conclave” under the auspices of Foreign Minister Manuel Valls. Since then, the “thread of dialogue” has not been broken, noted the foreign minister, who wants to believe that an agreement is still possible.
“We need civil peace, we need long-term stability. Everyone on both sides knows this.” But the positions remain radically opposed,” the minister said. The “sovereignty with France” project proposed in May by Valls, including dual citizenship and the delegation of sovereign powers, angered supporters of independence.
“We cannot start a new round of negotiations that repeats what Manuel Valls proposed,” warned a source from the loyalist camp: “The President of the Republic has announced that he will propose a new project. We are waiting for him to present it to us.”
A year after the unrest, local elected officials are concerned about the still tense situation, but above all about the continuing economic crisis. Much of the discussion will focus on the economy and the future of nickel, a strategic resource for the archipelago. Because “even a political agreement will not spare us from having to tackle enormous problems,” said Valls said, highlighting the risk of “social unrest” in the archipelago.
