FORT DE FRANCE, Martinique (AFP) President Nicolas Sarkozy offered Friday to hold a referendum on autonomy for the island of Martinique, one of France's Caribbean territories gripped by unrest early this year.
The French leader on Thursday began a visit to Martinique and neighbouring Guadeloupe, part of a drive to heal ties with the overseas departments where a general strike degenerated into weeks of rioting in February.
"I came here to announce clearly that I intend to consult the people of Martinique on the institutional evolution of their territory," Sarkozy said in a speech in the island capital Fort de France.
"The people of Martinique are free to choose in their heart and conscience which road they wish to take," he said, although adding that "the debate is not about independence... it is about setting the right level of autonomy."
"So long as I am president of the republic, there will be no question of independence for Martinique, of its separation from France," Sarkozy added.
Elected officials in Martinique voted at a congress on June 19 for next year's regional elections to be delayed, to allow for the holding of a popular vote on the evolution of the island's status.
"Martinique is French and it will remain French, first because it wants to, but also because France wants it to. France wouldn't be France without Martinique," the president said.
The French constitution allows for the holding of a referendum on the degree of autonomy of overseas departments, Sarkozy recalled.
Speaking afterwards to reporters, he said the details of the vote would be decided by October, in agreement with officials in Martinique.
The French leader left shortly after for Guadeloupe, where he was also to deliver a speech to local officials and labour leaders.
He was accompanied by the new French junior minister for overseas territories, Marie-Luce Penchard, who is originally from Guadeloupe, as well as Interior Minister Brice Hortefeux, both appointed in a reshuffle this week.
Guadeloupe was the starting point for a six-week strike called in January to demand wage rises and steps to bring down high living costs, due to the large number of goods shipped from mainland France.
The protest movement spread to Martinique and as far as the Indian Ocean island of La Reunion.
Polls suggest a majority of people on all three islands favour greater autonomy from the mainland, but want to remain part of France.
The protests were fuelled by tensions between the islands' black majority and local whites -- descendants of colonisers and slave traders -- who control a large part of the economy and retail trade.
France was forced to deploy hundreds of extra police to quell the protests, in which one activist was shot dead. The movement was called off after the government promised pay rises for low wage earners.
Sarkozy's government also launched a broad consultation on the overseas territories, but the process has been boycotted by the umbrella group of activists that led the strike, the LKP.
Speaking Thursday in Fort de France, Sarkozy said he was "convinced the status quo is not possible," saying there was a need to "answer demands for equality and identity."
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