COMMON DECLARATION after VICTORIES on CHAGOS including DIEGO GARCIA
23.03.2023
IT’S TIME to COMPLETE DECOLONIZATION, DEMILITARIZATION
& RE-UNIFICATION of the REPUBLIC of MAURITIUS
22 MARCH 2023
On this year’s Republic of Mauritius Independence Day, 12 March 2023, Lalit organized an ‘Open’ Round Table in the LPT Hall at Grand River North West. The theme of the Round Table was: ‘Where do we stand after 55 years’ Independence on the issue of Chagos, including Diego Garcia?’ After interesting discussion, those present decided to bring out the following Common Declaration, and specified that the Declaration does not ‘undo’ the stands taken at two previous common declarations, that is to say the ‘Deklarasion Gran Rivyer lor Chagos – 2010’ and the ‘Second Declaration of Grande Rivière on Diego Garcia/Chagos - 2016’ (1):
No 1. Britain and the USA must Recognize the Mauritian victories under ‘international law’
After long struggles, as a people, Mauritians including Chagossians, have succeeded in winning victory on what precisely the legal position is on Mauritian decolonization under ‘international law’.
Today, Britain and the USA must publicly acknowledge that it has been established under ‘international law’ that they must dismantle the colony, the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), close the military base on Diego Garcia, that is to say acknowledge the two enunciations under ‘international law’ that follow:
* The judgment at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), on a United Nations General Assembly Resolution proposed by the African union requesting the ICJ elucidate, for the General Assembly, the precise position under ‘international law’, found that the decolonization process for Mauritius had not been completed legally by Britain at the time of Independence in 1968, that is to say after the illegal dismemberment of the Chagos Archipelago from the rest of Mauritius and after the uprooting and banishment of all the Chagossians living there; and also found that Great Britain had an obligation to withdraw and put an end to its BIOT administration of the Chagos Archipelago ‘as rapidly as possible.’ (25 February 2019)
* The UN General Assembly adopted a new Resolution on 22 May 2019, “Calling for Mauritius’ Complete Decolonization”, by 116 votes in favour and 6 against, calling on the UK to withdraw ‘unconditionally’ from Chagos, including Diego Garcia and for all member countries of the UN to work towards making the UK do so. We note that the Maldives, which was one of the initial four countries that voted with the UK and USA has since changed its position and recognizes Mauritian sovereignty over Chagos. So the UK-USA is isolated. Only three countries in the world stand by them on this.
So, the Mauritian State must insist that the British State and the US state formally recognize what the ICJ has enunciated and what the UN General Assembly has voted.
No. 2. The Mauritian State must demand respect for ‘international law’
2.1. The Mauritian State must sit up and take note that it must avoid falling into the trap of ‘bilateral’ negotiations on ‘sovereignty’, as the UK-USA define the issue, when the ‘international law’ is now clearly established through multilateral forums (the ICJ and UNGA) that the Chagos problem is one of ‘decolonization’, an issue that is resolved in a ‘multilateral’ way. And it has been resolved. The Mauritian state must thus continue to pressure the UK to withdraw from the totality of Chagos, including Diego Garcia, without conditions or any other reserve, and that the Republic of Mauritius must re-integrate Chagos including Diego Garcia into its territory, so that we can enjoy full independence and so that our decolonization is completed and we live in freedom, as the ICJ judgement statuted and as the UN General Assembly voted.
2.2. That the military base on Diego Garcia be closed, and an ecological clean-up be done, and that all military bases in the Indian Ocean be closed, so that we can re-start the process of moving towards the UN Resolution on ‘Indian Ocean as Zone of Peace’.
2.3. That the Mauritian state close all its harbours to warships, that means Port Louis, Port Mathurin, Diego Garcia, Agalega, Tromelin and St Brandon.
2.4. That the Mauritian state work towards the re-unification of our Republic, and not grant leases for any territory.
2.5. That, with in mind democratization and democratic participation, the Mauritian State, in consultation with the Chagossian people, create a new constituency for Chagos and set up a Regional Asssembly for Chagos, and thus, in this way, effect the town and country planning for Chagos in a democratic way.
2.6. That the right to return of all Chagossians be assured, just as freedom of movement for all Mauritians, including Chagossians, on all the islands of the Republic of Mauritius, including Chagos, which includes Diego Garcia, must be assured.
2.7. That it be recognized that the UK and the USA committed a crime against humanity and that reparations are due to Chagossians, and that reparations are also due to the Republic of Mauritius for the harm the country has suffered.
No. 3. Negotiations must be limited to the ‘time frame’ and the Mauritian state must avoid falling into the colonial logic of ‘bilateral negotiations’.
If there are to be ‘conversations’ or ‘negotiations’ that are bilateral, as the three rounds of UK negotiations with the Mauritian state were, it is important that the Mauritian state not fall into the new supposed ‘legal framework’ (which is more likely to be an ‘illegal framework’) that the UK-USA are attempting to plot. The only subject that needs bilateral talks right now is the time frame for base closure i.e. when the UK-USA intend to withdraw. All negotiations and talks must be public, and not in secret.
No. 4. The Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth must withdraw his offer of a 99-year lease for the USA’s military base
Prime Minister Jugnauth must withdraw the public offer he has repeatedly made to the USA for a lease of 99 years for Diego Garcia for the US military base there. It is a treacherous offer. The Republic of Mauritius, together with the Chagossians amongst us, have won victory. There must be no such treachery.
No. 5. We invite all political parties, trade unions, associations to continue to work towards decolonization, demilitarization and re-unification
We hereby invite political parties, unions, and all other organizations and movements to work constantly towards the decolonization of the totality of our Republic, and to end military occupation by the UK-USA, and to demilitarize all the country’s ports for the time ahead.
Signatories
Former President of the Republic, Cassam Uteem
Former Attorney General and Ambassador, Jean-Claude Bibi
Alain Laridon, former MP and Ambassador
Jimmy Harmon, academic
Rajni Lallah, for the Muvman Liberasyon Fam
Alain Ah Vee and Ragini Kistnasamy for LALIT
Open for new signatories from 23 March 2023 onwards.
