Independence

The calls were made by the Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front (FLNKS) and pro-independence parties in New Caledonia after Sunday’s vote.

Despite a low turnout, voters rejected independence from France in the third referendum.

The MSG Secretariat said Article 1 of the UN Charter and UN General Assembly Resolution 1514 on the Granting of Independence to colonized Territories, provided the need for the indigenous people of Kanaky to participate in the referendum and exercise their ‘right to self-determination’.

The poll commissioned by French television found that 66 percent of eligible voters plan to vote against independence in the referendum on 4 November.

The poll, which was carried out by Harris Interactive, involved just over 1,000 phone interviews over ten days in September and has a margin of error between 1.4 to 3.1 points.

After a 20-year phase of decolonisation under the Noumea Accord, voters will be asked whether New Caledonia should assume full sovereignty, which means taking full control over defence, justice, policing, monetary policy and foreign affairs.

The surveys were carried out by the agencies Kantar TNS and I-Scope, just over six months before the territory's referendum on independence.

The first poll found that 58 percent were firmly against independence while 12 percent were for.

With 15 percent of respondents undecided and 12 percent declining to answer, the pollsters suggest between 66 and 73 percent oppose independence.

The I-Scope poll, which was commissioned by the Caledonia TV station, found 60 percent were against independence and 23 for, with the rest still undecided.

The group, the International Parliamentarians for West Papua, were meeting at the Houses of Parliament to discuss the future of the region which is administered by Indonesia.

According to the group Free West Papua, the British opposition leader, Jeremy Corbyn, reiterated his support for the struggle for freedom in the region and said he would like this to be written into Labour Party policy.