French

Development

Flosse warns Nuclear Free and Independent Pacific conference

Polyne

sia’s pres ide n t Gaston Flosse warned

the Nuclear Free and Independent Pacific conference, held in Pape’ete late last month, not to interfere in politics, Radio One reported.

Flosse, in an interview with the pri vate radio, welcomed the conference which took place for the first in French

Polynesia.

“I say welcome, maeva, that is if they come here to visit our country, meet the French Polynesians and look at our liv ing standards, social progress. If this is so, that’s good, but if they came here to lecture us or interfere in our country’s politics, I say ‘this is not your place’.”

The Bth NFIP conference, organised by the Fiji-based Pacific Concerns Resource Center (PCRC), was held over six days with a hundred delegates from the Pacific islands and beyond attend

ing.

This year’s theme was “For justice, for truth and for independence”. Pro independence leader Oscar Temaru’s Tavini party was the host. Topics dis cussed included self-determination for

the French Pacific territories and the legacy of nuclear testing in the region, organiser Nick Maclellan said.

“Former workers, military personnel who served at the bases, face many problems. As we come to the end of the decade, it’s also the end of the UN has declared as the decade for the eradica tion of colonialism around the world.

Yet sadly there are still many Pacific countries that haven’t achieved their right to self-determination.”

“The NFIP Movement has tried to organise a conference here in Te Ao Maohi since 1980 but was not allowed.

We tried to organise a conference here in 1983, it was not possible.

“We tried again in 1990, it was not possible. In 1991 we tried to have an executive board meeting here, it still was not possible. In 1994 we tried again, it was not possible. This is the first time it has been possible for us to organise a major conference here,”

PCRC director Lopeti Senituli said.

“So this is a historic occasion. It is also historic in the other sense that the NFIP Movement was founded in 1975, the year that East Timor was invaded by Indonesia.

“In 1999 East Timor for the first time exercised their right to self-deter mination. The question is, when will the people of French-occupied Polynesia be allowed to exercise their right to self determination?”

But Flosse countered; “Most of them do not know French Polynesia. They might have been led to believe that the French Polynesian people live in chains and misery. So let them have a look around, let them talk to the French Polynesians, I think this will be an eye opener for them.”

“I’m asking those from the Pacific island countries: who among you has a comprehensive medical, health and communication coverage like ours ?

Who has a minimum wage of 100.000 CFP (1,000 US dollars) per month? So I say wel come, look around and

tell everyone back home what you saw.

This country is denuclearised. This country is decolonised.

“I was the one who went to Fiji to sign the Rarotonga Treaty on behalf of France. We made the right choice.

French Polynesians made the right choice and they will stick to it,” Flosse said.

The NFIP Movement unites com munity based and non-government organisations from 25 countries around the region.

The Tahiti conference brought together representatives of the member organisations of the NFIP Movement: church groups, independence move ments, land rights activists, women’s

rights campaigners, environmental

groups and peace movements.

The first Nuclear Free Pacific Con ference was held in 1975 at the Univer sity of the South Pacific (USP) in Suva, Fiji. Since then, there have been con ferences in: Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia (1978); Honolulu, Hawaii (1980); Port Vila, Vanuatu

(1983); Manila, the Philippines (1987);

Pawarenga, Aotearoa / New Zealand (1990) and Suva, Fiji (1996).

Keynote speakers, panel discussions

and workshops focused on five major sub-themes: the struggle for self-deter mination and independence in the Pacific, into the new millennium, the new arms race in the Pacific, human Rights and good governance in the Pacific, globalisation and its impact on Pacific economies, conserving our environment for our children, a confer ence release said.

Temaru pointed out that although invited by the conference, French assis tant overseas minister Jean-Jack Queyranne, who was in Tahiti on an official visit during the conference, couldn’t attend due to a “ busy sched ule”. ■