‘A diplomatic

watershed’

As a telex to the United Nations was on the wire from Suva to New York, where it was to be delivered by the Vanuatu permanent representative, French observers continued to express displeasure.

The telex requested the UN to relist New Caledonia in the number of non self-governing territories through the committee of 24 the UN Committee on Decolonisa tion.

The decision was recognised in Suva as a watershed.

France successfully asked the UN in 1947 to consider the territory an integral part of the mother country, and so it has remained.

French leaders, however, still have formidable weapons in their armoury and both diplomatic and trade pressures can be expected as France attempts to stem the flow towards support for independence.

For while the forum once again expressed support for a peaceful transition to independence and ackowledged some positive aspects in the approach of the new French government, it was disappointed that “the change in French policy ... was a significant backward step.”

Forum members will now pursue their objective of relisting New Caledonia through their memberships of various international groupings.

The forum members noted also that, if the coming referendum ruled out the prospect of independence, this was likely to exacerbate rather than resolve problems in the territory.