NCaledonia politicians agree on statehood while remaining French
President Emmanuel Macron had called for talks to break a deadlock between forces loyal to France and those wanting independence, asking New Caledonian elected officials, as well as political, economic and civil society leaders to gather near Paris to hammer out a constitional framework for the territory.
After 10 days of talks, the parties agreed that a "State of New Caledonia" should be created.
The archipelago is to retain "a status within France, with Caledonians who will remain French", said Nicolas Metzdorf, an anti-independence deputy.
"No more referendums are planned, with the exception of the one confirming this agreement," he said in a message sent to AFP.
The priority now was New Caledonia's economic recovery after last year's violence that killed 14 and is estimated to have cost the territory two billion euros ($2.3 billion), shaving 10 percent off its gross domestic product (GDP), he said.
Prime Minister Francois Bayrou said Saturday's deal -- which still requires parliamentary and referendum approval -- was of "historic dimensions".
Home to around 270,000 people and located nearly 17,000 kilometres (10,600 miles) from Paris, New Caledonia is one of several overseas territories that remain an integral part of France.
It has been ruled from Paris since the 1800s, but many indigenous Kanaks still resent France's power over their islands and want fuller autonomy or independence.
Unrest broke out in May 2024 after Paris planned to give voting rights to thousands of non-indigenous long-term residents, something Kanaks feared would leave them in a permanent minority, crushing their chances of winning independence.
As part of the agreement, New Caledonia residents will in future only be allowed to vote after 10 years of living on the archipelago.
The last independence referendum in New Caledonia was held in 2021, and was boycotted by pro-independence groups over the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the Kanak population.
The referendum was the last of three since 2018, all of which rejected New Caledonian independence.
Since the 2021 referendum the political situation in the archipelago has been in deadlock.
Macron declared in early June he wanted a "new project" for New Caledonia.
The 13-page agreement announced Saturday calls for a New Caledonian nationality, and the possibility for residents there to combine that status with the French nationality.
According to the deal, a "State of New Caledonia" will be enshrined in France's constitution, and other countries could recognise such a state.
The deal also calls for an economic and financial recovery pact that would include a renewal of the territory's nickel processing capabilities.
Both chambers of France's parliament are to meet in the fourth quarter of this year to approve the deal, which is then to be submitted to New Caledonians in a referendum in 2026.
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Transcript: French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan," July 27, 2025
The following is the transcript of an interview with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot that aired on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" on July 27, 2025. MARGARET BRENNAN: We turn now to French Foreign Minister, Jean‑Noël Barrot, who joins us this morning from Paris. Welcome to "Face The Nation." I want to begin on what is happening in Gaza with those horrific images that we are seeing of starvation overnight, Israel has begun air drops. We know Jordan, other states are looking to organize more aid. Are you exploring any further avenues to bring aid into Gaza? FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTER JEAN-NOËL BARROT: What's happening in Gaza right now is appalling. Gaza is- is- is now in the brink of a full catastrophe, and we've been working out, over the months, to try and relief the sufferings of the Palestinian people. We actually have 52 tons of humanitarian help stuck in El-Arish in Egypt, a few kilometers away from Gaza. So we're exploring all options to seize the opportunity offered by the Israeli government by opening the skies of Gaza, but we call for immediate, unhindered, and massive access by all means of humanitarian help to those who need it most. MARGARET BRENNAN: Has Israel responded to your calls? : We have, with the European Union, started tough discussions with the Israeli government, who have made first commitments that have not been fulfilled yet. In the next few days, the European Commission will make clear what our expectations are. We expect the Israeli government to stop the operations of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation that has caused bloodbath in humanitarian help distribution lines in Gaza. We expect them to pay the 2 billion euros they owe to the Palestinian Authority and to lift the financial blockage that is now preventing the Palestinian Authority to implement its most basic missions. We also expect the Israeli government to bring to a stop its latest settlement projects, the E1 projects with 3400 housing units that might split the West Bank in two pieces and prevent the emergence of a political, a two state solution. But what we call for is, of course, the immediate cease-fire, the liberation of whole hostages of Hamas, that needs to be disarmed. And the entry, the massive entry, of humanitarian help in Gaza. MARGARET BRENNAN: You are headed to New York, to the United Nations, to help lead a summit to talk about a two state solution. Your president announced France will formally recognize the state of Palestine at the UN in September. More than 100 countries recognize Palestine, but France is the first western UN Security Council member to do so, and the United States opposes what you are saying. Secretary of State Rubio called it "reckless." He says it serves Hamas propaganda, sets back peace, and considers it "a slap in the face to the victims of October 7." In your government's view, why is he wrong? : So the reason why President Macron made this decision is that it was absolutely necessary to restart a political process, the two state solution process that was- that is today threatened, more threatened that it- it has ever been. And the conference that will take place in New York tomorrow and Tuesday is a very significant milestone, because by- by- by recognizing, or announcing the recognition of Palestine, France has been able, alongside Saudi Arabia, that has- that will be co chairing this conference with us, to collect very significant historic commitments by all stakeholders, including the Palestinian Authority president and Arab countries, in favor of the two state solution, and guarantee security guarantees for Israel. The two state solution is very simple, and I think everyone can understand what we mean by that. The only way to bring peace and stability back in this region is to have two state, the state of Israel and the state of Palestine, living side by side in peace and in security. This perspective is now threatened, and it's why the- the dynamic that we have initiated was so important, and this is why the conference that will take place in New York is such an important milestone. All these efforts are very, very complementary to the efforts that the U.S. have done in the region since the first term of President Trump. We share the short-term objective: immediate cease-fire, liberation of all hostages of Hamas that needs to be disarmed. We share the long term objective: peace and stability in the region. And what we're doing, by bringing the Palestinian Authority leader to recognize seventh of October as a terrorist attack, by calling the Hamas- the disarm- for the disarmament of Hamas and the liberation of hostages, by committing to deep reform of the Palestinian Authority, and by committing to elections within one year, by bringing the Arab countries for the first time to condemn Hamas and call for its disarmament, we are creating, or recreating, the conditions for this political solution that, again, is the only path forward, and we are paving the way. We're paving the way for the future Abraham Accords that the U.S. administration might lead. So I see our effort as very complementary to the U.S. administration's effort, rather than substitutes. MARGARET BRENNAN: Minister Barrot, the president of the United States dismissed what President Macron said, the U.S. Ambassador mocked it. Do you believe that your plans can succeed without U.S. support? : Again, our efforts are very complementary . We share the short term objective, cease-fire, liberation of all hostages of Hamas, and the long term objective, peace and stability in the region. In fact, we will welcome any further efforts led by the U.S. to implement the Abraham Accord logics. And what we're doing now with this very significant conference that will take place in New York will pave the way for such accords. But in the meantime, until the U.S. administration provides, through the Abraham Accord logics, a political horizon for this crisis, we need to act in order to facilitate the- or create an off ramp for the catastrophe ongoing in Gaza. Now the terms, we will welcome and support future Abraham Accords, but in the meantime, inaction is not an option. MARGARET BRENNAN: I want to ask you briefly about an incident that has gained a lot of attention this past week involving some young French citizens who were removed from a flight from Spain. The airline claims they were kicked off for being disruptive. The Israeli government came out though and said the French students were removed because they're Jewish. Have you determined whether this was indeed an act of antisemitism? : I have called the CEO of this company, who has- to express our- our serious preoccupation. She has confirmed that an internal investigation is ongoing. My team has been reaching out to the ambassador of Spain in- in France, and we've made the same request. We'll keep following this situation as it unravels MARGARET BRENNAN: So too- too early to say, despite what the Israeli government is indicating. : I cannot comment on that at this point. We've taken action as- as soon as we got, you know, as we got notice of what was happening, we offered support on location through our embassy to this group. We then reached out to the- the airline company, to the Spanish authorities, and we're now following the results of these investigations. MARGARET BRENNAN: France has been very active diplomatically on a number of fronts. It was just five weeks ago when the United States and Israel bombed Iran. Since that time, France has talked to the Iranian government, along with other European powers, about what remains of Iran's nuclear program. How concerned are you that after these bombings, Iran may now covertly attempt to make a weapon, and the world won't know? : This is still a risk that we are facing, and alongside Germany and the UK, we have been very clear, Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, and we've been, over the past few months, reaching out to the Iranian authority in close coordination with U.S. authorities in order to express what our expectations are. Ten years ago, we reached a deal on the nuclear program that allowed for a significant rollback of Iranian nuclear capacity. Of course, things has changed. Still then, and since then, Iran has violated all commitments it had taken at the time of signing this agreement. We now want a more comprehensive agreement that would encompass both the nuclear dimension of Iranian destabilization activities, but also it's the ballistic component, as well as the regional destabilization activities that Iran has been conducting, unless we- unless a new and robust and durable and verifiable agreement is reached by the end of the summer, France, Germany and the UK will have no other choice but to reapply the global embargoes that were lifted 10 years ago when the nuclear agreement with Iran was signed, embargoes on weapons, on nuclear equipment, and on banking. MARGARET BRENNAN: So France is ready to snap back sanctions on Iran as soon as August. Are you asking Iran to speak directly to the United States in order to avoid that fate? : We've been speaking with Special Envoy Witkoff, Secretary Rubio, on a weekly basis on this topic that is highly important for the U.S., as for Europeans. We- we have supported U.S.-led efforts to enter into discussions with Iran. We have pressed Iran, after the 12 day war, to go back to a discussion with the U.S., and we'll keep pressing them to do so, because indeed, if there is no solid agreement that can be found by the end of August, we will have no other option but to snap back, meaning to reapply those global embargoes, and we are ready to do that. MARGARET BRENNAN: Minister Barrot, thank you very much for your time this morning.
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Israel has announced it will be enforcing a 'tactical pause' in its military operation in three parts of Gaza. Israel also declared on Saturday it would allow airdrops of aid into the Palestinian territory, following a global outcry over Gaza's rising hunger levels. The UN says a quarter of the population are facing famine-like conditions. But the military has insisted its mission to flush out the Hamas militants will be ongoing. However, aid agency leaders have called the air drops a 'grotesque distraction' because it will never 'deliver the volume or quality' of aid required. Israel has faced heightened international backlash over its offensive ever since it imposed a complete blockade on all aid going into Gaza back on March 2, only allowing a fraction of relief to enter the beleaguered area in late May. Its military claimed it will now stop fighting in Gaza City, Deir al-Balah and Musawi between 10am to 8pm every day, from Sunday onwards. It promised to set up secure routes to help aid agencies deliver food, too. The surprise move comes days after French president Emmanuel Macron announced France would be officially recognising the Palestine state in the autumn. While he failed to persuade allies UK prime minister Keir Starmer and German chancellor Friedrich Merz to follow suit, the three did release a joint statement condemning the malnutrition seen in Gaza on Friday as they pile the pressure on Israel. 'The time has come to end the war in Gaza,' they said, noting that the 'most basic needs of the civilian population, including access to water and food, must be met without any further delay.' The leaders urged Israel to 'immediately lift restrictions on the flow of aid.' Starmer also announced Britain would be evacuating critically ill children from Gaza on Saturday. Writing in The Daily Mirror, he said: 'I know the British people are sickened by what is happening. The images of starvation and desperation in Gaza are utterly horrifying.' He added: 'We are urgently accelerating efforts to evacuate children from Gaza who need critical medical assistance – bringing more Palestinian children to the UK for specialist medical treatment.' Starmer said Hamas must release the hostages still being held in Gaza, and called for a two-state solution to the conflict. The World Food Programme also said in a new statement: 'Nearly one person in three is not eating for days. Malnutrition is surging, with 90,000 women and children in urgent need of treatment.' A group of 100 NGOs have warned that Palestinians are 'wasting away' from mass starvation and collapsing on the street. Related... Israeli Spokesperson Accuses Nick Robinson Of Lying About Gaza In Furious Row Live On Air Germany's Broadcaster Responds To Reports They'll Leave Eurovision If Israel Is Banned Israeli Soldiers 'Haunted By What They Have Done' In Gaza, UN Expert Says
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French official tells paper Arab countries will condemn Hamas, trying to get Palestinian statehood recognized
PARIS -Arab countries will for the first time condemn Hamas and call for its disarmament early next week at a United Nations ministerial event in New York, a move meant to lure more European countries to recognize Palestinian statehood, France's foreign minister said on Saturday. In an exclusive interview with French weekly Le Journal du Dimanche, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot said the move was part of a long-planned initiative between France and Saudi Arabia. "For the first time, Arab countries will condemn Hamas and call for its disarmament, which will seal its definitive isolation. European countries will in turn confirm their intention to recognize the State of Palestine. Half of European countries have done so, all others are considering it," Barrot told the JDD. "The British Prime Minister has stated his intention to do so. Germany is considering it at a later stage. We will launch an appeal in New York for other countries to join us in order to set in motion an even more ambitious and demanding process that will culminate on September 21," Barrot added. On Thursday French President Emmanuel Macron announced France would formally recognize the state of Palestine at the U.N. General Assembly on September 21, drawing condemnation from the U.S. and Israel. Earlier on Saturday Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni called it counterproductive to recognise a Palestinian state before it is established. On Friday a German government spokesperson said there were no plans to recognise a Palestinian state in the short term. At the upcoming United Nations event on Monday and Tuesday, France and Saudi Arabia plan to lay out a proposed post-war roadmap leading to a two-state solution covering security, reconstruction and governance, which will be compatible with the Abraham Accords negotiated by U.S. President Trump, Barrot said. The French minister added that in coming weeks the European Commission would take a tougher stance on Israel and demand a stop on building of any new settlement projects in the West Bank, and also an end to militarized policing of humanitarian aid distribution. Barrot also called on fellow European countries to demand a removal of the financial blockade on the Palestinian authority so it can receive 2 billion euros he said it is owed. Solve the daily Crossword
