The French president Emmanuel Macron has held talks with New Caledonian leaders who are in Paris for key talks about next year's independence referendum.
Emmanuel Macron Photo: AFP
The meeting at the Elysee Palace was the first of its kind and also involved the overseas minister Annick Girardin and the prime minister Edouard Philippe who later this week will chair the meeting of the signatories to the Noumea Accord.
This week's talks are seen as crucial in shaping the referendum process as disagreements persist over who will be allowed to vote.
While in French Guiana last week, Mr Macron said New Caledonia was now in a historic phase.
He said on an institutional level important talks are pending and he wants them to succeed.
