It has been almost a year since riots erupted in New Caledonia over the contentious issue of French governance of the territory. The violence brought the nations economy into a crisis state, while thousands left to work abroad. But there has been some glimmer of hope after pro and anti independence factions met for talks for the first time in years.
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00:00In downtown Nouméa, times are tough.
00:06We have received money from the French government, obviously, otherwise we would have been all
00:15dead already.
00:17Last May's riots caused more than $3 billion worth of damage and an estimated 10,000 people
00:23have since moved overseas.
00:25Basic services are also under strain.
00:29There are many difficulties in terms of transport, many difficulties in terms of housing and
00:34also many issues with unemployment since many have lost their jobs.
00:41While independence from France remains a key issue, so does inequality.
00:48The real problem centres on wealth sharing.
00:50We have a lot of winners, on the other hand, you've got many people who don't have much.
00:55With no clear pathway to an agreement between loyalists and pro-independence groups, New
01:00Caledonia still faces an uncertain future.
01:03But there has been progress.
01:05Last month, the new French overseas minister, Manuel Valls, got both sides in the room to
01:09talk for the first time in years.
01:12Manuel Valls at least is perceived as being more sensitive to the Melanogen way, but he's
01:19still walking on a very tight rope.
01:22Speaking exclusively to the ABC, New Caledonia's new pro-French president wants to find a way
01:28forward.
01:29Everyone must work in this direction to rediscover what is deepest inside us, the desire to live
01:35together.
01:36Because if we're talking about we want to be independent and so on, for me, it's in
01:40the realm of dreams.
01:41It's very, very difficult for many families, and so we need to sign a political agreement
01:46to stabilise things.
01:48Discussions on an agreement are set to continue over the next week.
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