Macron acceded to the demands of the protesters in New Caledonia

According to the report of the international group Tasnim news agency, quoted by the German “Tagus Shaw” newspaper, French President Emmanuel Macron spoke with the parties to the conflict yesterday during a visit to New Caledonia, which has been under serious unrest. He made clear that the violence must stop – and spoke of holding another referendum in the region.

French President Emmanuel Macron has spoken of an unprecedented uprising in New Caledonia. To calm the situation, he met with the supporters and opponents of the independence of New Caledonia in Noumea, the capital of this region under French rule. He backed another referendum on the future of the French overseas territory.

Macron also said he would not push for electoral reforms, which representatives of the indigenous Kanak people reject as a weakness. And he called on local leaders to use their influence to help restore order.

The French president said: “Everyone has an obligation to really demand the removal of barricades and barriers and an end to all kinds of attacks, not just peace.”

He started the meeting with a minute of silence for 6 people who were killed by shooting in these riots, including two gendarmes.

He said that the state of emergency imposed by the government on 15 May imposed on Paris for at least 12 days, it can only be lifted if local leaders demand the removal of the barricades. It cannot be done and we are giving a few weeks to calm down and resume talks with a view to a comprehensive agreement.

He wants to give local leaders time to reach a new agreement on the future of New Caledonia. If they can reach an agreement, the obstacles are removed and the state of emergency is lifted and peace is established, a new referendum on the agreement may be held. New Caledonia had mediated. This effort culminated in three referendums in which the majority of New Caledonians voted to remain part of France, and the final vote was, of course, boycotted by the independence movement. The current violence is fueled by a reform of the French government’s electoral law, which the region’s independence supporters reject. They complain that as the number of eligible voters in New Caledonia increases, those politicians who support the region remaining part of France will be favored in the elections and Canuck candidates will be disadvantaged.

More than 280 people have been arrested in the area since the violence began on May 13, according to French officials. Barricades, burnt vehicles and other debris have turned parts of Noumea into restricted areas and made travel dangerous for them. After the looting and burning of shops, the situation has become critical for patients who need treatment and for people who need food and water in this region. It showed how important this archipelago east of Australia is to him. In this trip, Gerald Daronin, Minister of Interior and Sébastien LeCorneau, Minister of Defense of France also accompanied him.

When this high-level French delegation arrived in the capital of this critical region, despite the night curfew and 3000 Police and gendarmerie auxiliary force, the riots continued. Macron said: These forces will remain as long as necessary, including during the Olympic and Paralympic Games, which will begin on July 26 in Paris. Asked if he thought the 12-hour trip to New Caledonia would be enough, Macron replied: “We’ll see. I have no limits. He later thanked the officers for their work at the central police station in Noumea, the capital of New Caledonia. And he said: No one expected this level of violence.

Thus, due to the serious unrest, Emmanuel Macron announced that he is temporarily suspending his reform plans for the French overseas territory of New Caledonia After long talks with the political leaders in Noumea, the capital of the island, he said: “I have committed that these reforms will not be implemented in the current situation. They want to give themselves a few weeks to calm down the situation and start political discussions.” At the same time, he said, the reforms are politically legitimate. will have the right to vote, which caused protests. The main population of this region, which constitutes about 40% of the total population, is afraid of reducing their influence if these reforms are implemented.

The aim of these reforms is is to allow the French to participate in provincial elections if they have lived in New Caledonia for at least ten years.

France annexed New Caledonia in 1853, and in 1946 this colony was given the status granted overseas territory. The country is the third largest producer of nickel in the world, but the sector is in crisis and one in five residents live below the poverty line. New Caledonia is of particular importance to France militarily and geopolitically, as well as because of its large nickel deposits.

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