New Caledonia's political leaders – both pro and anti-independence groups – are set to sit down with representatives of the French government in Noumea on Monday in what will be the first trilateral roundtables involving all political parties since 2021, the year of the last referendum over independence in which voters rejected the move.
France's Overseas Minister Manuel Valls has returned to New Caledonia following initial rounds of discussions which began in Paris in February, recently saying "the objective of this phase will be to reach an overall agreement on the institutional future of New Caledonia".
Despite the positive dialogue with the New Caledonian municipal government, there remains a number of contentious issues which may delay or derail a deal to replace the 1998 Noumea Accord, which is governing the French territory's economy, its institutions and governance for the past 37 years.
The Overseas Minister has presented the six different delegations involved on either side of full independence from France or retaining the status quo involved in talks over the draft negotiation.
All parties and factions have, in essence, agreed "the negotiations will be based on the draft agreement proposed by the government" in the first step towards reconciliation of a nation often divided based on race and culture between the Indigenous Kanaks majority, French metropolitan residents and other European settler descendants.
The Front de Libération Nationale Kanak et Socialiste (FLNKS) issued a statement, accepting the French state's draft agreement as the basis for negotiations.
However, the FLNKS suggested the independence movement will not be rushed into a deal on the basis of only this draft:
"This document only reflects an even stronger bond of belonging to France," a statement said.
"It leads us into a period of uncertainty, with no precise timeframe for the transfer of sovereign powers, or even any guarantee that we will be able to exercise our right to self-determination."
The optimistic independence coalition noted full sovereignty was no longer a dream, but a reality which it must strive to achieve.
"We have reaffirmed our willingness to build a fair and shared political solution that will lead us to the successful achievement of our country's trajectory towards full sovereignty," the Rassemblement-Les Républicains said in a statement.
The negotiating text of the French government attempts to summarise a range of complex and interconnected issues which have divided the independence movement from the conservative loyalist parties who wish to remain within the French Republic.
The draft paper presented to delegations flags key areas for debate and agreement.
Key areas are to exercise the right to self-determination, the evolution of sovereign powers that are currently held by France, the possible scenarios for a new sharing of sovereignty reform of New Caledonia's political institutions, and potentially changing the balance of powers between the municipal government, the three provinces, and the congress and government of the overseas collectivity.
Another could be redefining New Caledonian citizenship, a unique achievement during the 1998 Noumea Accord, which defines restricted electoral rolls for local political institutions and proposes greater employment rights for New Caledonians above other French nationals' residents in the Pacific.
As with the Noumea Accord, the final political agreement on these issues would need to codify fundamental laws which are specific to New Caledonia and Vallis says are "the defining the principles, institutions and shared values, and adoption procedure, for inclusion in the French constitution".
