RNZI/PACNEWS
A French Polynesian delegate to the UN decolonisation discussions in New York says he hopes France won't boycott the upcoming meeting as it has done in the past.
Richard Tuheiava of the opposition pro-independence Tavini Huiraatira Party has noted that although France is a member of the UN Security Council, it routinely defies the UN decolonisation process by staying away from his delegation's presentation.
Two years ago, the UN General Assembly returned French Polynesia to the list of territories to be decolonised, which still includes 17 territories - 70 years after the UN set it up.
Tuheiava has told the local newspaper that he also wants to raise the issue of strategic resources - a reference to rare earths in the territory's seabed.
The meeting may also raise the aftermath of the nuclear weapons testing conducted by France.
The French Polynesian government is opposed to the decolonisation process.
