A former French prime minister, Michel Rocard, has described New Caledonia's possible independence as a kind of oddity.
Former French Prime Minister Michel Rocard Photo: AFP
The territory is due to hold a referendum by 2018 completing a decolonisation process which began in the 1980s when he was France's prime minister.
During his term, the 1988 Matignon Accords were signed which ended years of violence.
In a newspaper interview, Mr Rocard says nobody is independent any more because the creation of the euro as a common currency has changed the meaning of independence.
Mr Rocard says he hopes a common stance will be found between the pro- and anti-independence side.
New Caledonia's currency is not the euro, but the Pacific franc.
Photo: AFP
