Valls extends visit to New Caledonia as independence deal remains elusive

Valls extends visit to New Caledonia as independence deal remains elusive

Manuel Valls has extended his stay in New Caledonia as he seeks to rally support for the Bougival agreement amid political divisions and a struggling health system.

FLNKS snubs Nouméa constitutional reform talks for New Caledonia

By Patrick Decloitre, RNZ Pacific correspondent French Pacific desk A newly established “drafting committee” held its inaugural meeting in Nouméa this week, aiming to translate the Bougival agreement — signed by New Caledonian political parties in Paris last month — into a legal and constitutional form. However, the first sitting of the committee on Thursday took place without one of the main pro-independence parties, the FLNKS (Kanak and Social…