text: Melanesian community werethereadjustment ofStateinvestments tothebenefit of thele6sdeveloped provinces andthecreation oftheConsultative Customary Council andtheAgencyfortheDevelopment ofKanakCulture. Lastly, hestatedthatFrance pa~ticipated inthestruggle aqainst apartheid andbelieved intheneedfor dialogue betweenallcomponents ofSouthAfrican society, thatFrance's aidtothe blackcommunities ofSouthAfricahadamounted tonearly 17nlillion francsin19881 that assista~ce totheStatesmembers oCtheSouthern African Development Co-ordination Conference (SADCC) hadamounted to4billion francssince1980,and thatpressure wasbeingbrought tobearontheSouthAfrican leadership through the restrictive measures adopted bytheEuropean communities. 47.Members oftheCommittee congratulated theFrenchGovernment onitsreport, whichhadbeenprepared inaccordance withtheCommittee's guidelines (CERD/C/70/Rev.1). Theynotedwithsatisfaction thatthereportsincerely admitted theexistence ofracialproblems anddescribed theefforts beingmadetodealwith themandthattheGovernment hadendeavoured toprovide answers toanumberof questions thathadbeenaskedduringthec~nsideration ofitsprevious report. Theyalsowelcomed thefactthatFrenchlegislation wascont\nuous1y beingimproved andthatmeasures werebeingtakentomobilize publicopinion inthestruggle to overcome racialprejUdice. 48.Members wishedtoreceivestatistical information ontheethniccomposition of thepopulation inFrenchOverseas Departments andTerritories andtheywondered why,since1973,thepopulation insomeofthoseDepartments orTerritories had decre~sed (Guadeloupe andMartiuique) orincreased toalesserdegree (R~union), whileinothersithadshownalargeincrease (French Guyana, NewCaledonia). They alsowishedtoknowwhichofthoseDepartments andTerritories wereprepared for independence, wha~stepshndbeentakentoprotect andpromote thehumanrightsof -19-theirpopulation, howtheirstandard ofliving, healthandmedical care,aswellas ofeducational facilities compared withthatofmetropolitan France, whatthe special statusoftheAmerindian population inFrenchGuyanawas,andwhether following thedisturbances inNewCaledonia in1987therighttoequaltreatment beforethetribunals hadgenuinely beenapplied tothosefavouring independence and tothedefenders ofthepresent stp ~s.Inaddition, further information was soughtconnerning ther"sults I)fthe"Living Together" campaign andonthe statement madebytheFrenchGovernment according towhichtherewasnorecognition ofnational minorities inFrance. 49.Withreference totheimplementation ofarticle 3oftheConvention, itwas wondered whytheFrenchGovernment, whichwasseeking tocombatracism, maintained commercial relations withSouthAfrica. 50.Withregardtoarticle 4oftheConvention, members oftheCommittee wishedto knowwhether actsofxenophobia, •...committed bytheNational Front,were punishable underanyprovisions ofActNo.72-546of1July1972,whether the circular oftheMinister ofJustice of8February 1984covered suchactivities, and whether ~nyprocedures ofthatkindhadbeeninstituted byapublicprosecutor or privateplaintiffs. Inaddition, itwasobserved thatthecontroversial bookby SalmanRushdie, "TheSatanic Verses", hadbeenpublished inFrancewiththe authorization oftheFrench Min~stry ofCulture. Inthisconnection, concern was expressed thatthisauthorization mightbeinterpreted asimplying governmental support forthecontents ofthebook.Itwasalsoinquired whether therewasalaw onblasphemy inFranceand,ifso,whetheritapplied toallsections oftheFrench population. Onememberalsowishedtoreceive information onalleged actsof unlawful usec,.fforcebypoliceofficers against Algerians. 51.Withreference toarticle 5oftheConvention, members oftheCommittee wished toreceive information ontheresults already achieved bytheNational Council for Regional Languages. Withregardtothelargenwmberofrefugees andstateless persons mentioned inthereport, theywishedtoreceivestatistical information on thebreakdown ofthatfigurebycountry oforiginandtheyinquired whether the 1951Convention relating totheStatusofRefugees alsoapplied toBasques, and whatwastheinte.pretation givenbytheFrenchauthorities totherefugeestatus. Clarification wasrequested ofthestatement inparagraph 7ofthereportthat holders ofa"resident's card"couldengageinanyprofessional activity. Further
analysis: The text appears to be a report or discussion on the implementation of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD) by France. The text covers various aspects, including the French Government's efforts to combat racism, its relations with South Africa, and the situation of certain populations in French Overseas Departments and Territories. The text does not specifically focus on economic development, natural resources, or environmental issues.