The World - News from Aug. 28, 1988
French Premier Michel Rocard, on the second day of a three-day visit to New Caledonia, urged Melanesian separatists and European settlers to seize his initiative for peace in the South Pacific islands and rebuild their future. Speaking in the capital of Noumea, Rocard appeared unfazed by a crowd of pro-independence Melanesians waving the multicolored flags of the nation they have sought to create since 1984. He said that many of their demands are legitimate but that Melanesians must earn their share of power in New Caledonia. Rocard engineered an accord signed Aug. 20 in Paris that provides for limited self-rule and for a referendum on independence in 10 years.
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