France insists on sovereignty over islands claimed by Vanuatu

Filed 1h ago · Via Courthouse News · The Buffoon Desk

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Waltz of Treachery

Kevin MacLeod · incompetech.com · CC BY 4.0

Photo: Eric Gillet · CC BY-SA 3.0 · via Wikimedia Commons

France said Wednesday it will not cede sovereignty over the disputed islands of Matthew and Hunter, claimed by both France and Vanuatu, as Vanuatu moves to bring the dispute before the International Court of Justice.

A French junior minister called the position 'clear and firm,' saying Paris is open to dialogue but sovereignty was 'never on the table.' The islands are barely a square kilometer combined but grant France an exclusive economic zone of 350,000 square kilometers.

Vanuatu's environment minister said the country has 'discussed this issue long enough' and can seek a U.N. General Assembly advisory opinion if France rejects the court's jurisdiction.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.

✒ FROM THE EDITORIAL DESK

Funny how quickly 'dialogue and openness' curdles into 'the answer is no' once actual sovereignty is on the table. A rock nobody lives on turning into a 350,000 square kilometer prize is a tidy reminder that colonial leftovers are rarely about the real estate.

Source: Read the original at Courthouse News → Scored: Waltz of Treachery · Kevin MacLeod · CC BY 4.0

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