France has hit back at New Zealand's deputy prime minister for suggesting a referendum in New Caledonia wasn't in the spirit of the law as it mulls a request from Pacific leaders to tour the territory.
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New Caledonia was rocked by riots which left 10 people dead, after controversial voting reforms were passed in Paris that Indigenous Kanak people argued would water down their voice in the French territory.
French ambassador to the Pacific Veronique Roger-Lacan rebuked suggestions from Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters that a 2021 referendum for independence - boycotted by Kanaks as they grieved COVID-19 pandemic deaths - wasn't legitimate.
Mr Peters said while it was "within the letter of the law ... but it was not within the spirit of it" due to the number of people who boycotted.
The ambassador questioned how he would react if he heard "French politicians qualifying an election in NZ, ie, a purely internal matter, as abiding by the law, but not the spirit of the law".
"Separating the law and its spirit, in the field of elections and votes, does not make sense. Either the election or the vote are legal, or not - in this case, it is legal, full stop," she told AAP.
"Democratically and legally everyone was called and allowed to vote. Those who decided not to, took their responsibilities."
There has been a renewed push for independence within the French territory after a meeting of Melanesian Spearhead Group nations, which includes Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and a pro-independence front.
They issued a joint statement questioning the legitimacy of that referendum and calling for independence as part of a decolonisation process after meeting on the sidelines of a Pacific leaders forum in Japan.
It followed the deadly May riots, with Pacific leaders saying they wanted to help quell political discontent between the Kanak people and France as the colonial power.
On Tuesday, three Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) leaders, chair and Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown, incoming chair and Tongan Prime Minister Hu'akavemeiliku Siaosi Sovaleni and Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, announced they would visit New Caledonia in the coming weeks.
The PIF "troika" outlined their expectation in a Tuesday statement, saying it was the "collective expectation of forum leaders" the mission takes place before the annual PIF leaders summit was held in Tonga from August 26.
But privately there are mixed views within PIF states about whether the mission would be approved before the leaders meeting.
The request hasn't received the green light from France.
Ms Roger-Lacan said the French president would "reflect on the proposal and will respond accordingly".
"France, as the host country, will decide when and how this mission can travel to New Caledonia," the ambassador, who landed back in Noumea on Wednesday, said.
Following the conclusion of the Noumea agreement peace process and three referendums, a new pathway was needed to achieve self-determination within the French territory, Ms Roger-Lacan said.
"This process is over whether they like it or not. All of the communities, natives, non-natives … have to decide collectively which process they want to achieve for the next step.
"We have been offering all the options that are possible for this dialogue and options for the future of New Caledonia to be negotiated by the New Caledonia people.
"This is what we have been doing with no pause since the end of the period of validity of the Noumea agreement."
Australian Associated Press
