The Union Caledonienne Elected Representatives of the FLNKS Group has expressed their objections to the convening of the meeting in their country which it views as inconsistent with the self-determination process of New Caledonia as a non self-governing territory. The position of the FNLKS Group is articulated below:
CONVEYING MESSAGE BY THE UNION CALEDONIENNE
ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES OF THE FLNKS GROUP
(Wednesday 29th July 2009)
With recognition that New Caledonia is fully engaged in a real process of decolonization in accordance with the Noumea Accords which was signed the 5th of May 1998 between the French State, the FLNKS and the RPCR, we have witnessed for the past years that the French State has strategically positioned itself to recover power, with the main objective of pressing a brake on the emancipation of the country in order to jam her journey towards accession to complete sovereignty.
Thus since the appointment of the President of the Republic of France in 2007, Nicolas Sarkozy has put into place in a systematical approach, his plan for “l’outre mer” (French Overseas Departments and Territories) essentially destined to counter the aspirations towards Independence and it is with the old gaullienne rhetoric which expresses ‘the greatness of France’, that France articulates ‘three oceans’ of which ‘the sun never sets’.
The organization of “Etats généraux de l’outre mer” (General States of French Overseas Departments and Territories), the “Grenelle de la mer”, the creation of “Conseil interministériel outre mer” (The Inter-Ministerial council of French Overseas Departments and Territories) the many diplomatic visits of Ministers to the colonies, demonstrate the evidence of a takeover by the French State, guided by fierce opposition towards Independence of offshore countries. In relation to New Caledonia, during the last signatory committee on the 8th of December 2008 the President Nicolas Sarkozy gave a course of action to take, of which Harold Martin reminded at the Congress “If the point in time has come where the partners of the Noumea Accord wish to develop, progress and engage New Caledonia in new perspectives within the Republic of France, they must know now that they can count on my support and that I will never change my support to the most innovative solutions with relation to the legal plan in order to acknowledge and to guarantee the entity and the power of New Caledonia within France”.
The holding of the third France-Oceania Summit in New Caledonia this Friday the 31st of July 2009 takes this political viewpoint and which is also wanted by the President of the Republic. Furthermore as precisely stated by Madame Marie Luce Penchard, Secretary of State in charge of Offshore States on Tuesday the 28th of July in front of the Elected Representatives of the Congress of this country, the decision to set up New Caledonia as the
With this mentality, New Caledonia has therefore become a platform to defend the superior interests of France within our Pacific region disguised under its many assistance to Island States and under the sustainable development alibi and the preservation of the marine biodiversity. Our country, with an emancipating voice is therefore instrumental by the supervisory authority that claims to support her regional integration as it is also an ability already offered by the Noumea Accord.
The Elected Representatives of the Union Calédonienne of the FLNKS group both at the Congress and at the Government of New Caledonia refuse to support this purpose that is not ours and stay strongly anchored in the irreversible processes of the Noumea Accords that drives to the complete sovereignty of the Kanak country. So as to highly and strongly reaffirm their attachment to the dynamic emancipation, the elected representatives of the Union Calédonienne of the FLNKS have decided to oppose the holding of the France-Oceania Summit in New Caledonia. They have moreover requested to the brother countries: Melanesian, Polynesian, Micronesian as well as Australia and New Zealand to not support the hegemonic strategy of France in our pacific region and to refrain from participating in this staged farce from Paris.
The Elected Representatives of the Union Calédonienne of the FLNKS group both at the Congress and at the Government finally remind that the United Nations had declared the year 2010 as the end of the international decade for the elimination of colonialism, it is therefore a good time for France to turn the page of colonial history by accompanying their territories towards a true step towards emancipation instead of continuing to shut them away with tricks, in the stitches of nets in the name of the greatness of an empire that never came into effect but alas it will always be in the minds of some nostalgic spirits. If France will take into account the will of the people’s right to self-determination she will come out great and dignified.
The Leader of the FLNKS group,
R. WAMYTAN
