Prime Minister Mark Brown will be part of a high-level delegation to New Caledonia to help resolve the political crisis facing the French territory since May this year.

Brown, who is also the Pacific Islands Forum chair, said the high-level mission, endorsed by the regional leaders, was in response to the request from New Caledonia to support a long-lasting resolution to the ongoing political situation.

Speaking during the 10^th Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting (PALM) in Tokyo, Japan, last week, PM Brown said: “New Caledonia is a PIF Member and we have a responsibility to take care of our family in a time of need.”

“We wish to support the de-escalation of violence and promote understanding and dialogue between all parties. Our objective is to help all parties resolve this situation as peacefully and expeditiously as possible.”

Protests and riots broke out in New Caledonia in May in response to a controversial French Constitutional amendment. The amendment, which is now suspended, purported to change voter eligibility in New Caledonia’s local elections by opening the vote to French citizens having resided there for an uninterrupted ten years. The pro-independence movement strongly opposed this change, saying it would marginalise the indigenous Kanak vote.

The deadly riots have claimed 10 lives and cost the New Caledonia economy over one billion euros in damage.

According to the Pacific Islands Forum, the ongoing violence in New Caledonia is of grave concern to the Forum Family.

“A Forum Ministerial Committee provides a regionally-led, contextualised and neutral approach to the impasse in New Caledonia,” the Forum said.

“Forum Leaders recognise that any regional support to New Caledonia on this matter will require the agreement of the French Government. The Pacific Islands Forum has requested the support of the French Government and will work closely with officials to confirm the arrangements for the mission.”

The Forum Ministerial Committee will be led by the prime ministers of Cook Islands, Fiji and Tonga, who comprise the current Forum Troika.

The Committee will ensure that the mission is facilitated in an objective and comprehensive manner

PM Brown said: “It is the collective expectation of Forum Leaders that the mission takes place in August and a report from the mission be presented to Leaders for their consideration and further discussion at the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Tonga on 26-30 August.”

In May, Brown reiterated his call for peace and order to prevail and commend the ongoing peaceful efforts to reach a mutually agreeable way forward for New Caledonia.

“I reiterate my earlier statement conveying the Pacific Islands Forum’s readiness to facilitate and provide a supported and neutral space for all parties to come together in the spirit of the Pacific Way, to find an agreed way forward that safeguards the interests of the people of New Caledonia,” he said in May.

“New Caledonia is a full member of the Pacific Islands Forum, and I have written to the President of the Government of New Caledonia, His Excellency Louis Mapou, to offer the support of the PIF, including outlining the comprehensive regional mechanisms and processes available to Forum Members during times such as this.”

• Additional reporting by Pacnews