1 Aug 2007

Tahoeraa youth lobbies for ouster of French Polynesian president

3:20 pm on 1 August 2007

The youth group within French Polynesia's ruling Tahoeraa Huiraatira Party has called for a softening of the ideological debate and to use more reason instead.

The call comes amid unprecedented talks between two former rival presidents, Gaston Flosse of the Tahoeraa and Oscar Temaru, in a bid to hold fresh elections.

The group says a truce should be called to focus on the essential which it says is the two men's love for their homeland and their wish to see it develop in peace.

The Tahoeraa youth group has called on the territory's president and party veteran, Gaston Tong Sang, to ask France for a dissolution of the assembly to go to the polls two years early.

So far France has ruled out early elections and President Nicolas Sarkozy has announced he will visit Tahiti in October to finalise development plans agreed to with Mr Tong Sang in Paris last month.