Mine clearance operation in Matignon: Jean Castex brings together politicians from New Caledonia on Wednesday May 25, the first meeting of a week of discussions desired by the government in order to renew the dialogue between separatists and loyalists.

This initiative comes at a "pivotal moment" ahead of a third consultation on independence.

"The government wants to try to relaunch the dialogue. It is not easy and it will depend on the actors and their ability to get out of their postures (...) to really get to the bottom of the discussions", assures Matignon who believes that "probably nothing will be signed at the end of this week".

But this is not the stated goal.

This meeting should make it possible to organize the third referendum consultation by October 2022, and to work on all the consequences of the "yes" and "no", explains Matignon in a press release.

In a working document to which Agence France-Presse had access, the government presents an "association agreement" as one of the possibilities in the event of a "yes" to independence.

The second referendum in October 2020 saw the "no" to independence win once again, but with less room than for the first.

After this consultation, Overseas Minister Sébastien Lecornu had conducted numerous bilateral meetings with both the separatists and the loyalists.

But politicians from both sides did not want to meet. 

Sébastien Lecornu then invited five members from each camp to a tripartite meeting in a small committee on Leprédour Island, off the coast of New Caledonia, in order to establish a dialogue.

However, a few days later, the tensions around the sale of the nickel plant in the southern province had again "handicapped the dialogue", one explains to the Ministry of Overseas.

Despite the agreement reached in March, positions have remained frozen since.

Absence of UNI

The list of participants will however be different this time because the National Union for Independence (UNI), one of the two currents of the Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front (FLNKS), has announced that it will not respond to the 'invitation.

In addition, the composition of the delegations present will be expanded.

The government has, however, assured that it will keep its hand extended if the UNI finally wishes to join the discussions.

The program for this week of exchanges is provided.

Thursday and Friday, Caledonian politicians will attend the presentation of work carried out by the State services to assess the issues and the consequences of the two possible outcomes of the consultation.

"An almost clinical analysis of the subjects to be treated" in the legal, economic and financial fields, on daily public policies and on the exercise of sovereign powers.

>> To re (see) on France 24: New Caledonia, a key archipelago for France

"Together in peace"

Discussions will be "more political" Monday May 30 in bilateral, and Tuesday June 1 in plenary.

They will aim to clarify each other's positions in this last phase of the Noumea agreement, with a major stake for the government: that the dialogue be maintained over time.

The Minister of Overseas Territories said Tuesday in front of the assembly that he made a wish "in the name of the government of the Republic": that of getting out of the binary choice "a little obscure and sterile" between the "yes" and the " no ", and try to" find a new path which will allow not only peace and harmony, but also the prosperous development of New Caledonia ".

"This does not mean that the intention of the government is to avoid this consultation," said Matignon, but rather that at the end of this week of discussions, all the consequences of the result have been studied.

Because "Whatever the scenario, it will be necessary that the Caledonians live together in peace".

With AFP

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