France's Macron approves Pacific leaders visit to troubled New Caledonia

9/8/2024 16:33

        French President Emmanuel Macron has agreed to a request for Pacific Island leaders to visit the French territory of New Caledonia to assess ongoing civil unrest between indigenous Kanaks and French loyalists.
        
        Pacific Islands Forum chairman and Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown said a letter from Macron had been received by the Pacific Island Forum on Friday and a delegation of three leaders hoped to travel to New Caledonia in August.
        
        "France have approved and supported the visit," Brown said at a media conference in Fiji, adding he expected the visit to take place before the annual Pacific Islands Forum leaders meeting that starts August 26.
        
        "There are some sensitive political dimensions that must be taken into account but we feel that our sentiment as a forum is to firstly try to reduce the incidence of violence that has taken place over the last few months but also call for dialogue as the way forward," he said.