The prime minister of Fiji, Sitiveni Rabuka, says he is willing to personally intervene in New Caledonia’s push for independence as the impasse over the way forward for the conflict-ridden French territory continues.
The comments came after the Fijian leader completed a three-day mission in the French territory with the Tongan and Cook Islands prime ministers on behalf of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), to “get a sense of what’s happening on the ground” after deadly riots rocked the territory in May.
The tour, which the French government insisted was an “information mission” not a “mediation mission”, came after Pacific leaders piled pressure on Paris to allow them into the country to speak to “the Pacific family” in New Caledonia.
The Pacific leaders believe by talking to both sides, the Indigenous Kanaks and the French government, they can help the two parties reach a solution and “lower the temperature”, as the Indigenous population continues to push for independence from France.
The Pacific Islands delegation, including the prime ministers of Fiji, Tonga and Cook Islands with Pacific Islands Forum secretary general Baron Waqa. (Supplied)
Speaking to the ABC after completing this week’s mission, Mr Rabuka said New Caledonia was still a French territory and their tour was only to advise the Pacific leaders and the PIF on a way forward.
Yet, in a move that will likely raise eyebrows in France, Mr Rabuka and his counterpart Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown both suggested to the ABC that Pacific police could be deployed to New Caledonia as a peacekeeping force under the Australian-backed Pacific Policing Initiative.
Mr Rabuka suggested the mission could be “similar” to the Regional Assistance Mission Solomon Islands that was deployed by the Australian government after ethnic unrest kicked off in the 2000s — while stressing the move would need a green light from both the French and New Caledonian authorities.
“It can be [deployed], but it cannot be forced upon New Caledonia or France,” Mr Rabuka said.
But the proposal will likely be contentious in France, which retains ultimate authority for all security and military matters in New Caledonia.
Paris believes that pro-independence extremists have deliberately tried to destabilise the territory to create a sense of crisis, in an attempt to force the French government to leave New Caledonia.
The ABC has contacted the French government for comment.
Mr Rabuka also suggested he would be willing to personally intervene on behalf of the Kanaks in New Caledonia to “disassociate” from France if they wanted it.
In July the French ambassador to the Pacific told the ABC it was impossible for the PIF to “mediate” between French authorities and pro-independence parties, as New Caledonia remained part of France.
France still has thousands of police deployed in New Caledonia to maintain peace after violence broke out in May over Paris’ plan for voting reforms that Indigenous Kanak people fear would leave them in a permanent minority, crushing their chances of winning independence.
Fresh violence kicked off in September after French security forces killed two men, taking the death toll to 13 after months of unrest.
Insiders have told the ABC there is still a feeling of a false sense of calm on the ground, reinforced by the thousands of French police in the territory and the lingering threat of violence from extreme pro-independence groups.
The Australian government recommends any travel to New Caledonia should be “reconsidered”.
‘A sense of tension’
The leaders’ tour comes as a stand-off on the way forward for the French territory continues, with New Caledonia’s pro-independence President Louis Mapou telling the Islands Business magazine this week that the political, economic and social system controlling the country has “reached its end”.
Mr Mapou is the first pro-independence Kanak president in more than 40 years.
Speaking on the Pacific leaders’ visit, Mr Mapou said the group wasn’t in the country to “interfere”.
“But rather [they were here] because a member of their family is in difficulty,” he said.
“So it’s quite normal that the Forum would visit and say they are ready to contribute to the de-escalation of conflict.”
The PIF has not yet released an official statement on the visit.
In a separate interview for the ABC’s The Pacific program, the Cook Islands prime minister, who was also a part of the tour, said there was still “a sense of tension in the air” in New Caledonia.
“The aim is to try and reduce those tensions, get people that are in positions of authority to influence other people to start discussions and start talking,” Mr Brown said.
He said there was a critical need for a financial rescue package which had to come from France. The price tag of any reconstruction has been put at about $5 billion.
“The majority of the groups and people we spoke to far preferred a resolution or a creation of a pathway forward as a result of more dialogue rather than more violence,” he said.
“So there is a significant proportion of the New Caledonia population that is looking forward to the resumption of discussions and talks about what New Caledonia do they want for the future.
“And it’s not just a matter of the Kanaks against the European French.”
