The French government’s Minister for Overseas Territories will return at the end of April.
Three weeks after his previous visit, Manuel Valls, Emmanuel Macron’s Minister for Overseas France, returned to New Caledonia. He had come for two very distinct reasons. The first was to meet civil society. He wanted to hear a different voice from that of the elected representatives. So he met young people and leaders of associations. He also visited a military base, no doubt to reaffirm the presence of the French army in the region.
They are afraid of the trap
His second objective was, of course, to hold meetings with the independentists and loyalists. Everyone here was hoping for a political agreement. But there was none. It is extremely difficult to find common ground. Some of the Loyalists don’t want to hear about independence, and a large proportion of the Independents don’t want to stay in France. There is a middle ground: a kind of independence-association, rather like that of the Cook Islands. The radical loyalists, represented by Sonia Backès and MP Metzdorf, fear a trap: that of disguised independence. The radical independentists, for their part, also fear a trap: that of remaining part of the French Republic in another form.
A slight improvement…
In short, it’s not a foregone conclusion. The elected representatives involved in the negotiations remain very discreet about the content of the negotiations. The delegations will continue to negotiate with Paris by videoconference. Manuel Valls will return at the end of April. He is undoubtedly one of the busiest ministers. He has other crises to manage, such as the cyclone and illegal immigration in Mayotte, or the high cost of living in Martinique and Guadeloupe…
