The UK Chagos Support Association

Mauritius considers leaving the Commonwealth

Sunday 27 June 2004

The dispute over the Chagos islands has led Mauritius to consider leaving the Commonwealth, reports Mauritian newspaper Week-End.

In an article on Sunday 27 June, Week-End claims that the move has been discussed at ministerial level, and at a meeting between Prime Minister Paul Bérenger and Deputy Secretary General of the Commonwealth Winston Cox. It will be discussed again in a cabinet meeting on Wednesday 30 June, and Mr Berenger will discuss it with Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Donald McKinnon on 10 July in London.

Mr Bérenger has also met with British High Commissioner David Snoxell, and has formally requested a meeting with Tony Blair, but has so far not received a reply. He also met with United States President George W Bush, as well as Secretary of State Colin Powell and National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice, on a recent trip to the US.

The Mauritian government holds that the claiming of the Chagos islands by Britain in 1965 violated the Charter of the United Nations and was illegal.

Mr Bérenger said in a recent statement that legal advice received by his government "contained several possible options for movement forward including one which would have wide-ranging diplomatic implications". The government is now seeking further legal advice, he said. He criticised Britain's position on the Chagos islands, especially the new Orders in Council, and stated that "my Government will take all legal and diplomatic steps necessary to restore is enjoyment of sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago. Sovereignty has no price".