NCaledonia Politicians Agree On Statehood While Remaining French
President Emmanuel Macron had called for talks to break a deadlock between forces loyal to France and those wanting independence, asking New Caledonian elected officials, as well as political, economic and civil society leaders to gather near Paris to hammer out a constitional framework for the territory.
After 10 days of talks, the parties agreed that a "State of New Caledonia" should be created.
The archipelago is to retain "a status within France, with Caledonians who will remain French", said Nicolas Metzdorf, an anti-independence deputy.
"No more referendums are planned, with the exception of the one confirming this agreement," he said in a message sent to AFP.
The priority now was New Caledonia's economic recovery after last year's violence that killed 14 and is estimated to have cost the territory two billion euros ($2.3 billion), shaving 10 percent off its gross domestic product (GDP), he said.
Prime Minister Francois Bayrou said Saturday's deal -- which still requires parliamentary and referendum approval -- was of "historic dimensions".
Home to around 270,000 people and located nearly 17,000 kilometres (10,600 miles) from Paris, New Caledonia is one of several overseas territories that remain an integral part of France.
It has been ruled from Paris since the 1800s, but many indigenous Kanaks still resent France's power over their islands and want fuller autonomy or independence.
Unrest broke out in May 2024 after Paris planned to give voting rights to thousands of non-indigenous long-term residents, something Kanaks feared would leave them in a permanent minority, crushing their chances of winning independence.
As part of the agreement, New Caledonia residents will in future only be allowed to vote after 10 years of living on the archipelago.
The last independence referendum in New Caledonia was held in 2021, and was boycotted by pro-independence groups over the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the Kanak population.
The referendum was the last of three since 2018, all of which rejected New Caledonian independence.
Since the 2021 referendum the political situation in the archipelago has been in deadlock.
Macron declared in early June he wanted a "new project" for New Caledonia.
The 13-page agreement announced Saturday calls for a New Caledonian nationality, and the possibility for residents there to combine that status with the French nationality.
According to the deal, a "State of New Caledonia" will be enshrined in France's constitution, and other countries could recognise such a state.
The deal also calls for an economic and financial recovery pact that would include a renewal of the territory's nickel processing capabilities.
Both chambers of France's parliament are to meet in the fourth quarter of this year to approve the deal, which is then to be submitted to New Caledonians in a referendum in 2026. The archipelago's Kanak population has pushed for increased autonomy, or independence from France AFP New Caledonia could gets its own nationality AFP
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Int'l Business Times
2 hours ago
- Int'l Business Times
EU Chief Delays Retaliation For US Tariffs In Search Of Deal
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said Sunday that Brussels will continue to hold off on hitting back at US steel and aluminium tariffs, as it seeks a deal to avoid broader 30-percent levies. US President Donald Trump on Saturday threw months of painstaking negotiations into disarray by announcing he would hammer the 27-nation bloc with the sweeping tariffs if no agreement is reached by August 1. "The United States has sent us a letter with measures that would come into effect unless there is a negotiated solution, so we will therefore also extend the suspension of our countermeasures until early August," von der Leyen told journalists. "At the same time, we will continue to prepare for the countermeasures so we're fully prepared," she added. The European Commission president insisted that the European Union has "always been very clear that we prefer a negotiated solution. This remains the case, and we will use the time that we have now till August 1". The move by von der Leyen will spur hope that Trump's latest threat -- in which he also targeted Mexico -- has not killed off the progress made in negotiations so far between Brussels and Washington. The European Union's current suspension of its retaliation over US steel and aluminium tariffs had been set to expire overnight Monday to Tuesday. Brussels has readied duties on US goods worth around 21 billion euros ($24 billion) in response to the levies Trump slapped on metal imports earlier this year. But it announced in April it was holding off on those measures to give space to find a broader trade agreement with the Trump administration. "Since the very beginning, we have worked and now are ready to respond with countermeasures. We've prepared for this, and we can respond with countermeasures if necessary," von der Leyen said. EU trade ministers are set to meet Monday in Brussels to discuss the bloc's response to Trump's latest move -- and crucially how strong a line to take with Washington. Germany's finance minister Lars Klingbeil said on Sunday that "serious and solution-oriented negotiations" with the United States were still necessary, but added that if they fail, the European Union would need "decisive countermeasures to protect jobs and businesses in Europe". "Our hand remains outstretched but we won't accept just anything," Klingbeil told daily newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung. That came after French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday urged the European Commission -- which negotiates on behalf of all EU countries -- to "resolutely defend European interests". Since returning to the presidency in January, Trump has unleashed sweeping stop-start tariffs on allies and competitors alike, roiling financial markets and raising fears of a global economic downturn. But his administration is coming under pressure to secure deals with trading partners after promising a flurry of agreements. So far, US officials have only unveiled two pacts, with Britain and Vietnam, alongside temporarily lower tit-for-tat duties with China. The European Union, alongside dozens of other economies, had been set to see its US tariff level increase from a baseline of 10 percent on July 9, but Trump pushed back the deadline to August 1. In a letter published on Saturday, Trump cited the United States's trade imbalance with the bloc as justification for the new 30-percent levies. The EU tariff is markedly steeper than the 20-percent levy Trump had unveiled in April -- before hitting pause as markets went into meltdown.
Int'l Business Times
6 hours ago
- Int'l Business Times
Gaza Civil Defence Says Israeli Strikes Kill Over 30 As Truce Talks Deadlocked
Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli air strikes on Sunday killed more than 30 Palestinians, including children at a water distribution point, as talks for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas stalled. Delegations from Israel and the Palestinian militant group have now spent a week trying to agree on a temporary truce to halt 21 months of bitter fighting in the Gaza Strip. But on Saturday, each side accused the other of blocking attempts to secure an agreement at the indirect talks in the Qatari capital, Doha. There has meanwhile been no let-up in Israeli strikes on Gaza, where most of the population of more than two million have been displaced at least once during the war. Seven UN agencies on Saturday warned that a fuel shortage had reached "critical levels", threatening aid operations, hospital care and already chronic food insecurity. The civil defence agency said at least 31 people were killed in Israeli strikes overnight and into the morning. Eight people were killed in strikes on houses in Gaza City, in the north, agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal said. In the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, 10 people were killed in a strike on a house, while 10 others including eight children were killed at a water distribution point, Bassal said. "We woke up to the sound of two large explosions," Khaled Rayyan told AFP after a house was flattened in Nuseirat. "Our neighbour and his children were under the rubble." Another resident, Mahmud al-Shami, called on the negotiators to secure an end to the war. "What happened to us has never happened in the entire history of humanity," he said. "Enough." In southern Gaza, three people were killed when Israeli jets hit a tent sheltering displaced Palestinians in the coastal Al-Mawasi area, according to the civil defence spokesman. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military, which has recently intensified its operations across Gaza. On Saturday, the military said fighter jets had hit more than 35 "Hamas terror targets" around Beit Hanun in northern Gaza. Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify tolls and details provided by the civil defence agency and other parties. The war was sparked by Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that led to 1,219 deaths, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. Out of 251 people taken hostage that day, 49 are still held in Gaza, including 27 that the Israeli military says are dead. Hamas-run Gaza's health ministry says that at least 57,882 Palestinians, most of them civilians, have been killed in Israel's military reprisals. The UN considers the figures reliable. Talks to agree a 60-day ceasefire in the fighting and hostage release were in the balance on Saturday after Israel and Hamas accused each other of trying to block a deal. Hamas wants the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, but a Palestinian source with knowledge of the talks said Israel had presented plans to maintain troops in more than 40 percent of the territory. The source said Israel wanted to force hundreds of thousands of Palestinians into the south of Gaza "in preparation for forcibly displacing them to Egypt or other countries". A senior Israeli official said Israel had demonstrated "a willingness to flexibility in the negotiations, while Hamas remains intransigent, clinging to positions that prevent the mediators from advancing an agreement". Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he is prepared to enter talks for a more lasting end to hostilities once a temporary truce is agreed, but only if Hamas disarms. Thousands of people gathered in Israel's coastal hub of Tel Aviv on Saturday calling for the release of the hostages. "The window of opportunity... is open now and it won't be for long," said former captive Eli Sharabi. The strike was among several that killed more than 30 Palestinians across Gaza on Sunday AFP Protest in Tel Aviv calling for the release of the remaining hostages still held in Gaza AFP
Local Germany
8 hours ago
- Local Germany
Impact of US tariffs varies across European Union
Ireland, with a major pharmaceutical industry, is in the front line along with Germany, for whom the United States is a major outlet for its cars, steel and machine tools. France is less exposed, even if it does have aeronautics, food, wine and luxury goods companies that risk losing markets. The EU as a whole has an annual trade surplus with the United States of $235.6 billion, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), which reports to the U.S. Department of Commerce. Only China has a higher amount. Germany, the industrial powerhouse Germany, the EU's largest economy, is under particular pressure due to its dependence on exports: it has a surplus of $84.8 billion with the United States, thanks to its large automobile, chemical, steel and machine industries. The United States accounts for 23 percent of the revenue of Mercedes Benz. While some of that is accounted for by SUVs manufactured in the United States and exported, they risk being hit by any tariff reprisals from the EU. The Federation of German Industries (BDI) reacted promptly to Donald Trump's announcements on Saturday, calling on the EU and the United States to "quickly find solutions and to avoid an escalation". READ ALSO: German chancellor 'cautiously optimistic' on EU-US tariff deal Advertisement Italy, France in the second line Italy and France, with surpluses of $44 billion and $16.4 billion respectively, according to US statistics (French data says the surplus is much smaller), would appear to be less affected. But some sectors are heavily exposed. The food and wine industries would be particularly affected in both countries, as is also the case for Spain. A 30-percent tariff would be a "catastrophe" for the French wine and spirits sector, Jerome Despey, head of the viticulture branch of the FNSEA union, said Saturday. Coldiretti, Italy's main agricultural organisation, said Saturday that tariffs of 30 percent would cost US consumers and Italian food producers some $2.3 billion. Like Germany, Italy is also concerned about its automotive sector. Franco-Italian manufacturer Stellantis (particularly Fiat and Peugeot) has suspended its forecasts for the year due to these uncertainties. Exposed French sectors also include aeronautics and luxury goods. LVMH, the world's largest luxury conglomerate, makes a quarter of its sales in the United States. About a fifth of France's exports to the United States come from the aerospace industry, much of it from Airbus. Austria and Sweden also have surpluses with the United States, $13.1 billion and $9.8 billion respectively. Advertisement Ireland, Europe's lab Ireland has the largest surplus among EU members, at $86.7 billion. That is largely due to the presence of major American pharmaceutical companies such as Pfizer, Eli Lilly, and Johnson & Johnson. They all set up in Ireland to benefit from a 15 percent corporate tax, compared to 21 percent in the United States. These companies can thus host their patents in Ireland and sell on the American market, where drug prices are traditionally higher than in the rest of the world. Ireland also hosts most of the European headquarters of American tech giants, such as Apple, Google and Meta, also attracted by the attractive Irish tax system. Overall, pharmaceuticals account for 22.5 percent of EU exports to the United States, according to Eurostat, with many major players having announced major investments in the United States.
