France issuing

autonomy plan

The "Round Table’’ on New Caledonia’s future (PIM Aug. pi 5) wound up in mid-July with a document signed by Georges Lemoine, French Secretary of State for Overseas Departments and Territories, and representa tives of the territory’s Independ ence Front and Centre party,

Fnsc.

The delegation of the main anti-independence party, RPCR, led by Deputy Jacques Lafleur, declined to sign the document, which is to serve as a preamble to the forthcoming statute of autonomy.

The French Government had found it necessary to invite 20 of New Caledonia’s political lead ers to Nainville-les-Roches, a small town near Paris, for a four day round of talks on self determination for the territory.

Mr Lemoine had said that the meeting would "have neither winners nor losers” and, cer tainly, all parties to the talks praised the efforts of Mr Lemoine, and described the dialogue as useful.

The Independence Front dele gation returned to Noumea and said they were satisfied with the talks. The final statement expre sses the desire of all to abolish colonialism by recognising the quality of Melanesian civilisa tion, and by introducing "Cus tom” into future institutions with most likely a second assem bly, along the lines of a senate of customary chiefs.

The legitimacy of the Kanak people as first occupants of New Caledonia, with an "innate and active” right to independence, is

also recognised, a point that has been central to Independence Front demands. However, the exercise of this right, the state ment says, must be within the framework of the French con stitution. Self-determination is to be the concern, for historical reasons, of other races in the territory, and the move to self determination is to be en couraged by the French Govern ment, and to come about when the Caledonian people feel the

necessity.

In clearer terms, the minister is to bring the autonomy statute to New Caledonia in November, the French Parliament is to vote

The big question: Who will vote?

on it in April, next year, and it should be applicable to the territ ory by July, 1984. The autonomy statute is to be specific to New Caledonia, subject to evolution, and transitional.

The Independence Front de scribed the statement as meeting most of their claims, and said they were confident that inde pendence was on the way. They also explained that the eventual vote on self-determination would be open to the Kanak people and other New Caledonians bom in the territory, and with one parent also bom in the territory. Others, such as the large population of Wallisians and other Polyne sians, who are relatively recent immigrants, would be invited to take on Kanak nationality or stay as French nationals, Front spokesman Mr Yeiwene Yeiwene said.

But it is the question of just who will vote on New Caledonia’s future that is the core of political dispute in the territory. The RPCR delegation did not sign the statement, Mr Lafleur said, because they were not given answers to their queries on the possibility of electoral reform, and the date of the next elections. The RPCR claims that the present Independence Front- FNSC coalition is not representa tive of the majority will. The RPCR is also against any elector al reform, except the exemption of French military and contract public servants from a vote on self-determination.

RPCR spokesman Jean Leques told the press that independence “is not on the way because it is impossible to go against the will of such an immense majority”.

“New Caledonia is, and will remain, French,” he said. “We

are and we will remain intransi gent. There is no question of changing our position”.

Mr Leques added that there had been no question of the RCPR signing the “ambiguous declaration” from the Round Table talks.

The FNSC for its part has claimed that it will be the “guar dian of the spirit of Nainville” a spirit, it says, of “dialogue and consensus”.

But so far their task looks difficult, as both pro and anti independence forces did not take long after their return from France to resume their original positions. The FNSC said it viewed as a real achievement that everyone was brought together around a discussion table, some thing that had been a long standing FNSC aim.

FNSC spokesman Christian

Boissery told the press that the spirit his party wished to see preserved was one of “openness and constructiveness” about New Caledonia’s future. He added that already (late July) the FNSC felt that this spirit had been bet rayed by the major parties, the RPCR more than the Independ ence Front.

Early August saw the Inde pendence Front spokesman on foreign relations, Yann Celene Uregei, leave Noumea on a three-week tour of South Pacific Forum countries. Mr Uregei planned to meet leaders of each Forum country and put to them the Independence Front demand for the inclusion of New Caledonia on the list of the Un ited Nations’ decolonisation committee.

On the eve of his departure the Independence Front issued a press statement pointing out that

only the inclusion of New Caledonia on the UN list could guarantee that a process of decol onisation had really begun.

For the Independence Front, the Round Table statement has to be regarded as a “declaration of intent by the French Govern ment” until the exact contents of the autonomy statute are made known in November.

The Independence Front ex plained that they feared the French autonomy plans might lead to a statute which would block any transition to Kanak socialist independence. Their statement also said that now the French Government has recog nised the “innate and active” right of the Kanak people to independence, they should have the territory listed with the Un ited Nations committee. He len Fraser.

Noumea Notebook Helen Fraser