25 Jul 2014

French NF worried about New Caledonia

2:14 pm on 25 July 2014

A French National Front politician, Louis Aliot, has expressed his concern that Paris has renounced New Caledonia, demanding that the territory stay French.

He says last weekend's surprise resignation of the High Commissoner during a ministerial visit to Noumea sounded like an alarm bell about the crisis affecting New Caledonia.

Mr Aliot says both the French state and the pro-French political parties bear great responsibility for the institutional crisis and the doubts being expressed.

Under the Noumea Accord, an independence referendum is to be held by 2018, but there is no commonly agreed plan on how to determine the territory's future status.

Mr Aliot alleges the pro-independence side wants to win time while a vote today would see a majority wanting New Caledonia to stay with France.