UN General Assembly
1988

The South Pacific community is made up of many small island States scattered in a vast expanse of ocean, which depend on only a small number of agricultural and marine products for their livelihood and export income. I am pleased to be able to say that there have also been some positive trends in the South Pacific since the last session of the General Assembly. In New Caledonia, constructive progress has been achieved by the French administration in re-establishing dialogue between different ethnic groups in the Territory. One year ago, my predecessor drew the Assembly's attention to the presence of a large number of French security personnel stationed in New Caledonia which, among other things, served to intimidate the Kanak people in their just struggle to seek independence from Prance.