Manuel Valls goes to New Caledonia to try to save the Bougival agreement, rejected by the separatists of the FLNKS. If the agreement fails, the spiral could be dramatic, and the failure would reflect directly on the former Prime Minister, in search of found credibility.
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In New Caledonia, Manuel Valls, Minister of Overseas Hope, Tuesday, August 19, save the Bougival agreement rejected last week by the FLNKS, an independence party. On the pebble, each trip is that of the last chance, each meeting is that of the last chance. It is the archetype of the Bourbier file with tentacular ramifications with a society divided in the midst of an economic, social and political crisis. The Caledonian history is full of tragedies and blood baths with no less than 14 dead during riots, a year and a half ago.
New Caledonia is still deadlocked, despite three referendums on independence which all acclaimed the link with France and the Republic. The last one is true, was boycotted by the separatists who asked for his postponement because of the COVVID.
Emmanuel Macron welcomed an agreement “historical” In mid-July, perhaps a little too quickly, even if, on paper, the deal, supervised by the Élysée, had something to delight the President of the Republic. It included a Caledonian state with skills on currency, justice, security, but in the French state. A Caledonian nationality backed by French nationality. While they had signed it at first, the separatists of the FLNKS now reject this agreement. Activists on the ground fear that it is only one more community, they have put pressure, with an icy reception on the pebble. The speech was hardened.
How to get out of it? It is the eternal mystery of the Caledonian file. Nothing happens as elsewhere. Manuel Valls hopes to bring the separatists back to the negotiating table. He is ready for a symbolic gesture: to receive, on his return to Paris, their leader Christian Téin, just out of prison. But if the Bougival agreement does not survive, the spiral may be terrible and could be marked by the judgment of investments, the closure of nickel factories, the destruction of jobs and the return to square one. New Caledonia is a powder maker.
In this file, Manuel Valls plays the biggest. A failure would be his, before being that of Emmanuel Macron. He, the former Prime Minister Revanchard, appointed to the overseas in December 2024. Bougival negotiations gave him a voice in the chapter, allowing him to regain legitimacy and credibility, after crossing the desert. Manuel Valls was so mocked to the point of being cheesy after his defeats in the socialist primary, at the town hall of Barcelona, in the legislative elections.
The Caillou path is strewn with pitfalls. Barely more than a month ago, the agreement was subtitled: “Let’s bet on confidence”. A few hours before the minister’s arrival, she is broken with him too, once again.
