Transcript
Walter Zweifel: Emmanuel Macron is trying to stay clear of showing any signs of being partial. The anti-independence camp wants him to directly acknowledge that he wants New Caledonia to stay French but in the complexity of the politics he has to be seen to be impartial. What he suggested was that New Caledonia could attain 'sovereignty within sovereignty'. He says he wants to take stock of New Caledonia today and wants France to succeed in this part of the world where he says France is strong and proud. He has injected a new term talking about an 'Indo-Pacific strategy' that he wants to discuss with regional leaders. Here he has bundled La Reunion and Mayotte in the Indian Ocean together with New Caledonia, Wallis and Futuna and French Polynesia when he talks about the 1.6 million French people in this zone.
Johnny Blades: That does sound as if things are being discussed over the head of New Caledonians?
WZ: Mr Macron is new to the region. He has never been to New Caledonia and he has had little time to get to know its main actors, plus the Noumea Accord process has been an arduous path to get to where the territory is now. It will have a referendum and the date of November 4th has been set. Until last year, much was shrouded in rather vague terms. But there is a sense of things being masterminded from Paris, for example with the return the original deed with which France took possession of New Caledonia in 1853.
JB: How so?
WZ: Nobody has clamoured for this document to be transferred from the archives to Noumea. It is not known who was consulted. Some anti-independence politicians say the time for this is not right and suggest this goes against what the majority wants also because it's a sign that his trip is too laden with recognising the pro-independence side. A pro-independence leader Roch Wamytan however said he assumes that by handing over the document he also returns New Caledonia's independence. One of his colleagues Daniel Goa said the Noumea Accord provides for the Kanak identity to be restored. That means that the document has to be returned to the indigenous Kanaks. By France giving the document to the local government it only confirms to him that the Kanak people have been expropriated.
JB: The customary Senate wanted Mr Macron to acknowledge that French colonisation was a crime against humanity as he had said in Algeria last year. Has he done that?
WZ: According to reports from those at the meeting, this was not raised. The language used by Mr Macron was to speak of 'wounds' that have been inflicted.
JB: There has been much debate about Mr Macron going to Ouvea. Will he go?
WZ: He will go but the exact programme is not clear. There are three sites he was going to see. First, the memorial of the French security forces who died during the 1988 hostage crisis, secondly the grave of the Kanak leaders Jean Mmarie Tjibaou and Yeiwene Yeiwene who were killed in 1989. The third place is in question and that is the grave of the 19 Kanaks killed during the 1988 hostage crisis. Some families have said for weeks that a president is not wanted and a visit there would be a provocation.
