Matthew and Hunter dispute

Matthew and Hunter dispute may require UN ruling, says Kilman

Vanuatu and France are to have talks in Honiara next month about their long-running dispute over Matthew and Hunter islands.

Both countries lay claim to the remote volcanic islands which lie to Vanuatu's south, and the east of the French territory of New Caledonia.

The matter was taken up by France under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, yet it appears to have stalled.

Mr Kilman said new talks to try and settle the dispute are a good step.