‘Too small for indepenedence’

NEW CALEDONIA – A leading New Caledonian anti-independence politician says the territory is too small to assume all the powers of an independent state.

A former president and now French National Assembly member Philippe Gomes said it was impossible for New Caledonia to exercise powers such as defence, internal security, judiciary, external relations and monetary policy, which are still held by Paris.

Gomes, writing in a local periodical, said the ultimate expression of independence for a sovereign state is to have a seat at the United Nations. He said if New Caledonians decide to leave the French Republic, they will be condemned to go begging for affiliations with other countries.

He said if the anti-independence voters win the poll it will probably take a generation to get New Caledonia off the UN decolonisation list because the pro-independence camp will first have to go through a period of mourning and accept a new arrangement after the November referendum.

The territory has a population of just over a quarter of a million.