“On May 13, the wire broke. » More than a month after the start of the unrest in New Caledonia, the President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday called for the “firm and definitive lifting of all roadblocks” and “condemnation of violence without pretext” in a letter sent to Caledonians.
Recalling that he had decided not to convene Congress to adopt a draft constitutional electoral reform at the outset of the May riots, he calls for “the creation of a new social contract in Caledonia” through dialogue, which “must naturally touch upon the nature of the links to be established with France.”
The president suspended the bill last Wednesday, but separatists are determined to continue fighting until the bill is scrapped, which if passed would allow people who have been present in the archipelago for at least ten years to vote in crucial provincial elections. life archipelago.
In a letter published by local press, including La 1ère, Emmanuel Macron refers to the 1988 Matignon and 1998 Noumea agreements. “This agreement involved a meeting between the Caledonians and their history. The consultations required by the agreement were held and the Caledonians expressed their choice. It is also a choice that binds us collectively,” he writes.
“This dialogue must naturally focus on the nature of the ties that will be established with France, ties that come together without obstacles, ties of mutual solidarity,” he writes. “Building always takes longer than demolishing. But patience is always a condition of hope,” he concludes.
The damage amounted to at least 1.5 billion euros.
Schools reopened on Monday, a sign of a very slow return to normalcy after five weeks of unrest. Elementary and secondary school students will gradually return to school, depending on areas and institutions. Primary school students in the southern province will be the first to return to class, followed by secondary school students next week and high school students from June 24.
Nouméa International Airport has also reopened and the night curfew has been moved from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm.
But the streets of the capital of the French South Pacific territory still bear traces of violence: burned buildings, including schools, separatist checkpoints, counter-blockades by independence supporters.
“Currently, since the beginning of these riots, we have just over 200 homes burned – in whole or in part – or vandalized, 900 businesses and small businesses, and about 600 private and commercial vehicles,” said Frederic Jourdain, president of the Committee of Insurance Companies (Cosoda) in New Caledonia La 1ère.
High Commissioner Louis le Franc said the cost of damage was estimated at more than 1.5 billion euros.
Source: Le Parisien
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