6 Oct 2016

French Polynesia government wants off decolonisation list

From , 4:03 pm on 6 October 2016

French Polynesia's government has put its case for the territory to be removed from the United Nations decolonisation list.

France pulled the so-called French Establishments in Oceania off the UN list in 1947 - 67 years after it had annexed the erstwhile Kingdom of Tahiti.

Howewer, in 2013 the UN General Assembly returned French Polynesia to the list.

The move angered Paris which labelled it as glaring interference by the UN and led it to shun co-operation with the Decolonisation Commission.

The French case for it to be dropped from the list was however put to the Commission in its debate in New York this week.

Walter Zweifel listened in.

The French High Commission in Papeete, French Polynesia

The French High Commission in Papeete, French Polynesia Photo: RNZI