Australia supports New Caledonia as Forum Member
Updated
New Caledonia's campaign for full membership of the Pacific Islands Forum has the support of current forum chair, Australia. New Caledonia's President Philippe Gomes says nothing should stand in the way of his country stepping up from associate to full membership .. not even it's continuing status as a French territory .. where France retains control of key powers including foreign policy and defence. Mr Gomes, and France's representative to New Caledonia, Yves Dassonville, are leading a delegation to Canberra for high level talks.
Presenter: Canberra Correspondent, Linda Mottram
Speaker: Philippe Gomes, President of New Caledonia
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MOTTRAM: Some have observed that Australia pays little attention to the French territories in the Pacific. But Canberra's support for the decolonisation process in New Caledonia under the Noumea accords, complex as it is, has been clear. So it's perhaps unsurprising that when asked formally by New Caledonia's President Philippe Gomes for support in Noumea's bid to become a full Pacific Islands Forum member, the answer was yes.
GOMES: (French soundup)
MOTTRAM: Speaking after meetings with Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Foreign minister Stephen Smith, Mr Gomes said we find our situation is politically equivalent to other states that are Forum members. He cited Niue, with its ties to New Zealand as an example.
GOMES: (French soundup)
MOTTRAM: We exercise all the state powers except some that remain with France, he said. Nothing should stand in the way of us joining, he said.
But where tiny Niue's foreign sponsor is another Pacific state, in New Zealand, New Caledonia's is not. One question in the region is whether New Caledonia's full membership would amount to French membership of the Forum .. a Forum where there are already complaints that big members like Australia are domineering.
And among the sovereign powers Noumea does not exercise in its own territory are defence and foreign policy, which remain with France. France and Australia have formal defence co-operation arrangements in the region and New Caledonia will remain a key base for French forces.
Further, when the former Australian Parliamentary Secretary for the Pacific, Duncan Kerr, visited New Caledonia in 2008 .. flying aboard a French aircraft .. he welcomed the path towards greater autonomy for New Caledonia .. cutting across those who hope for independence, after a 2014 referendum on the country's future.
The New Caledonian leadership though is dismissive of concerns saying that in its negotiations so far, including with Melanesian states, it's won what Mr Gomes called extremely favourable indications about New Caledonia's Forum membership bid.
New Caledonia with it's Melanesian independence movement would find itself joining the Forum when something of a fault line exists, particularly over Fiji, between Melanesian and non-Melanesian countries. But Mr Gomes was unperturbed.
GOMES: (French soundup)
MOTTRAM: It's true, he said that the Melanesian Spearhead Group is more open to Fiji .. but whichever is the subject of the day, he said, be it Fiji, climate change or pressures for lowering tariffs, we will express our point of view he said.
Mr Gomes says that before lodging its formal membership application for the Forum, New Caledonia will conduct consultations in April to identify any potential opposition.
In it's push to deepen it's engagement with the region, the New Caledonian delegation has also agreed with Australia during this visit to greater co-operation on climate issues .. particularly reef protection .. and on emergency services, particularly bush fires, as well as trade.
