The French Pacific territory of New Caledonia will hold a referendum on self-rule next year, under a deal reached with the French government. <br/><br/>New Caledonian leaders held nine hours of talks with French ministers in Paris on Thursday. Prime Minister, Edouard Philippe said, the talks resulted in a political agreement.<br/><br/>He said the government and New Caledonian politicians agreed on the size of the electorate, locations for polling stations and the presence of UN election observers. <br/><br/>The political agreement could pave the way for independence. November 2018 is the deadline for the vote. New Caledonia, east of Australia, has about 275,000 inhabitants. If a majority opts for independence it will be the first French territory to break away since Djibouti in 1977 and Vanuatu in 1980.