Pacific

French overseas minister in region this week

15:51 pm on 7 September 2015

The French overseas minister, George Pau-Langevin, will be in the region this week to visit New Caledonia, Wallis and Futuna, and to attend the Pacific Islands Forum Summit in Papua New Guinea.

Ms Pau-Langevin will arrive in Wallis and Futuna for the first time on Monday to meet with leaders and discuss the state of the archipelago's hospital, infrastructure, and employment for its 11,000 residents.

She will then travel to New Caledonia on Wednesday where she will meet those involved in a long-running nickel dispute that has crippled the territory in recent weeks.

Ms Pau-Langevin will also hold talks about progress on plans to revise the territory's electoral rolls after laws were passed in the French Senate in June.

The law seeks to broaden the terms for automatic inclusion on the electoral roll for those eligible to vote in a referendum on possible independence due by 2018.

Finally, the minister will represent France at the 46th Pacific Islands Forum leaders' summit in Papua New Guinea.