France on Saturday announced a “historic” accord with New Caledonia in which the overseas territory, rocked by deadly separatist violence last year, would remain French but be declared a new state, France 24 reports.
President Emmanuel Macron had called for talks to break a deadlock between forces loyal to France and those wanting independence, asking New Caledonian elected officials, as well as political, economic and civil society leaders to gather near Paris to hammer out a constitutional framework for the territory.
After 10 days of talks, the parties agreed that a “State of New Caledonia” should be created.
The archipelago is to retain “a status within France, with Caledonians who will remain French”, said Nicolas Metzdorf, an anti-independence deputy.
“No more referendums are planned, with the exception of the one confirming this agreement,” he said in a message sent to AFP.
The priority now was New Caledonia’s economic recovery after last year’s violence that killed 14 and is estimated to have cost the territory two billion euros ($2.3 billion), shaving 10 percent off its gross domestic product (GDP), he said.
Prime Minister François Bayrou said Saturday’s deal — which still requires parliamentary and referendum approval — was of “historic dimensions”.
Home to around 270,000 people and located nearly 17,000 kilometres (10,600 miles) from Paris, New Caledonia is one of several overseas territories that remain an integral part of France.
Նյութերը գեներացվում են տարբեր կայքերից արհեստական բանականության միջոցով