​​​​​​​ISTANBUL 

French Polynesian President Moetai Brotherson urged France on Wednesday to seize a rare chance to “achieve good decolonization” in New Caledonia.

He cautioned Paris to respect Pacific institutions and avoid "lecturing" regional leaders.

Brotherson told Radio New Zealand in Honiara, the capital of the Solomon Islands, on the sidelines of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) summit, that France should approach with humility and allow the Forum’s members to exercise their collective wisdom.

“The Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) is a mature organisation, and the (PIF) troika is comprised of very prominent members of the Forum. I’m not sure that lecturing us on how we should do things is the way to go. There is enough wisdom in this organisation to know what to do,” he said.

Brotherson noted that France’s request to include a reference to the Bougival Accord that was signed in July, has been accepted, but emphasized that it should not overshadow the broader process of decolonization.

Reflecting on France’s colonial history, he said: “When you look at the experience of France when you look at decolonisation, it has been a bloodbath pretty much everywhere."

"So here, we have the opportunity to establish new forms of partnership, new forms of recognition of the First Nations of these countries – either in French Polynesia or in New Caledonia. It’s an opportunity for France to reinvent herself.”