While the Groupe Réfugiés Chagos (GRC) is fighting to reverse the Orders in Council before the High Court of London, the Mauritian government is preparing to try and recover sovereignty over the Chagos archipelago. The long-lasting battle between the British and Mauritian governments for the Chagos has not stopped with the new régime.

On the contrary, Navin Ramgoolam did not hesitate to remind the United Nations ? during the UN summit in September ? that Mauritius wanted that the problem be ?rapidly solved?. He said that the Chagos were ?detached from Mauritius? just before the country gained its independence in violation of the UN 1514 declaration and the 2066 declaration of the organisation?s general assembly. TheChagos are now under British jurisdiction and there is a lease for Diego Garcia between the British and the Americans who use the island as a military base.

<B>Agreement for Diego Garcia</B>

His meeting with the British PM, Tony Blair, was another opportunity to come back to that subject. He insisted that Mauritius and Great Britain have always had friendly relations that must be used to reach a compromise on this delicate issue. As he was answering the Private Notice Question (PNQ) of the opposition leader, Paul Bérenger, Navin Ramgoolam revealed in Parliament last Friday that Mauritius had proposed that a treaty be signed for the use of Diego Garcia as a military base.

He made it clear that he did not want the Americans to leave the military base. What Mauritius wants is to be given its sovereignty back. If the country obtains this, then the government would conclude an agreement with the Americans so that they can go on using the island. The government is fully aware that Americans need the base and will do nothing to prevent them from staying there.

Although the British government has not accepted the proposal yet, Navin Ramgoolam believes it is a good sign that the British PM has agreed to consider it. Navin Ramgoolam looks quite hopeful : ?Both Prime Minister Blair and myself agreed on the need for discussions on the whole issue of the Chagos archipelago to be resumed.?

However, Paul Bérenger explained that the real problem was not really related to the British but rather the Americans. ?The real problem is actually in Washington. The previous government hoped to discuss the matter with the new Secretary of State, Condolezza Rice, who had just been appointed to that post at the time,? added Paul Bérenger. But Navin Ramgoolam doesn?t think it would be appropriate to discuss it with the Americans for the moment. He prefers to deal with his British friends first; ?but the time will come when we have discussions with Condoleezza Rice.?

Guided tour for natives

But the Opposition leader appears definitely more sceptical than the PM about the issue. ?We have seen what the British did over the sovereignty of the Chagos with their Orders in Council.? Members of the GRC are indeed in London to try and reverse these Orders in Council.

In 2000, the High Court of London stated that Chagossians had the right to go back to their archipelago saying that their expulsion from Diego Garcia was totally illegal. But in June 2004, this decision was cancelled by Orders in Council emanating from the Queen. According to the European Human Rights Act, the GRC is now asking the High Court to cancel the Orders in Council. If they succeed, they would be given the right to go back to their island. They insist that they would probably not go and spend their lives there but they should be given the right to go home when they want. The decision will be given at a later date.

Meanwhile, the British government is putting the final touches to arrangements for a ?guided tour? for the Chagossians in their archeipelago. Although no specific date has been decided on, the British authorities assert that the visit will definitely take place. The British PM agreed that an official from the Mauritian government be part of the delegation.