PACIFIC: French Polynesia Earmarks US$1 Million for Pacific Fund

FRENCH POLYNESIA EARMARKS US$1 MILLION FOR PACIFIC FUND

By Patrick Antoine Decloitre

PAPEETE, Tahiti (Oceania Flash, Aug. 7) - French Polynesia's President Gaston 
Flosse is poised to earmark around US$1 million (100 million French Pacific 
Francs, CFP) as his territory's contribution to a French Pacific Islands 
cooperation fund.

Flosse told a press conference on Thursday this was in line with indications 
given last week by French President Jacques Chirac, as he was chairing a 
"France-Oceania" meeting in Pape'ete, in front of Pacific islands countries 
and territories heads of states and governments.

Chirac last week announced that an existing French fund dedicated to the 
development of the Pacific Islands would be increased from the current US$2.5 
million to $5 million.

In a bid to "revitalize" relations between France and the Pacific region, 
Chirac also implied the management of the Fund would be handed over to the 
French Pacific territories "executives" in French Polynesia, New Caledonia 
and Wallis and Futuna, on revolving chairmanship basis.

Starting next year, French Polynesia will be the first French Pacific 
territory to chair the Fund's steering committee for two years.

Enlarging on the general outcome of Chirac's visit to the Pacific last week 
and the meeting with Pacific leaders, Flosse said this had allowed for a 
"fresh start" in French relations with this region.

"This has also allowed to definitely turn the page on the (French Pacific) 
nuclear tests chapter, in a region that is widely dominated by Australia and 
New Zealand," Flosse said.

Flosse also confirmed that he intended to table a bill in French Polynesia's 
territorial assembly to pass the 100 million CFP contribution to the French 
Pacific fund.

He however denied a suggestion by pro-independence Radio Tefana that this 
would be a way of buying French Polynesia's observer status at the Pacific 
Islands Forum, which is holding its summit in Auckland next week.

"Not at all. We have already helped the Pacific Islands in the past, there's 
nothing new... And even if we were not admitted to the Pacific Islands forum 
as observers, we would still carry on helping the Pacific Islands. We feel we 
have an obligation to help those countries", he said.

Referring to an press conference jointly held last week in Pape'ete by 
pro-independence Tavini Huiraatira and New Caledonia's FLNKS (National Kanak 
Socialist Liberation Front) leaders, Oscar Temaru and Roch Wamytan, Flosse 
lashed out at their leaders saying Temaru enjoyed the support of a minority 
in the local Parliament (10 of the 49 seats) and that Wamytan was 
"interfering" in French Polynesia's internal affairs.

Flosse said French Polynesia was justified in claiming a role in the region.

"We believe we are part of the region", although he acknowledged that French 
Polynesia's new autonomy status, which rules out the possibility of 
independence, could mean that the Forum would need to revise its rules.

New Caledonia has been a Forum observer since 1999, but its emancipation 
process, under the Nouméa accord, includes the prospect of independence, with 
a prior referendum between 2013 and 2018.

French Polynesia's autonomy status is different, and it is now openly 
declared that independence is no longer an option.

On way to explore, he said, would be for the Forum to accept a intermediary 
status for French Polynesia, that of a "non-independent French overseas 
collectivity".

The 16-nation Pacific Islands forum summit is to take place in Auckland next 
week.

August 8, 2003

Oceania Flash: E-mail/Courriel: padec@iname.com 


SOURCE: Pacific Islands Report