LOC18:08
15:08 GMT
PARIS, May 15 (KUNA) -- French President Emmanuel Macron called Wednesday for resuming political dialogue in the French Pacific territory of New Caledonia after spiraling violence.
The French Presidency said a statement that this came during a Defense and National Security Council meeting Macron convened to discuss protests in New Caledonia.
The president has requested a decree aimed at declaring a state of emergency after at least three people were killed amid violent protests that erupted over the passage of a constitutional reform that angered pro-independence forces, added the statement.
The unrest flared after French lawmakers approved a bill extending voting rights in provincial elections to residents arriving from mainland France, a change critics fear could marginalize indigenous people and benefit pro-France politicians. (end)
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