Negotiations over New Caledonia's future concluded at dawn on Saturday, July 12, after a final, uninterrupted 24-hour round in the western Paris suburb of Bougival, in a scenario reminiscent of Sydney Pollack's 1969 film They Shoot Horses, Don't They?, which features dancers competing to the point of exhaustion in an attempt to save their lives.
After nine days of talks and an 11th-hour signing, the Agreement on a State of New Caledonia lays out a "leap of faith." It marks the commitment of the French government, pro-independence and anti-independence groups to a new status for the territory, considered a "lasting solution." An economic reform pact, including the nickel sector, is attached to this.
"It has been agreed to establish a sui generis institutional framework for the 'State of New Caledonia' within the French national entity, enshrined in the Constitution of the French Republic. It may be recognized by the international community," the document states. "This agreement, the guidelines of which will be enshrined in the Constitution, sets out the conditions under which a New Caledonian nationality will be created. New Caledonians will thus benefit from dual nationality, French and New Caledonian."
You have 83.02% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.