It appears France is further downgrading its New Caledonia summit with Pacific Island leaders next month.
Media reports in Noumea say the gathering at the end of July is now
likely to be hosted by the French foreign minister, Bernard Kouchner,after the prime minister, Francois Fillon, had been suggested as a replacement for the original host, Nicolas Sarkozy.
No official has announcement has been made, but reports say no
presidential staff have visited Noumea in preparation for the third such summit organised by France.
The last was chaired by President Jacques Chirac in Paris in 2006 as was the inaugural one in Tahiti in 2003 when he successfully lobbied for France's Pacific territories to be integrated into the Pacific Islands Forum.
New Caledonia and French Polynesia are now associate members while Wallis and Futuna has been made an observer.
