MAURITIAN HICOM PRESSES AGAIN FOR CHAGOS TREATY

C O N F I D E N T I A L LONDON 007107 SIPDIS SIPDIS FOR AF/E, EUR/UBI, AND PM/ISO E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/29/2016 TAGS: MARR PREL MP UK IO SUBJECT: MAURITIAN HICOM PRESSES AGAIN FOR CHAGOS TREATY REF: A. LONDON 3980 ¶B. PORT LOUIS 271 ¶C. PORT LOUIS 288 Classified By: Ambassador Robert H. Tuttle, reasons 1.4, b/d. ¶1. (U) This is an action request; see para 4. ¶2. (C) The Mauritian High Commissioner in London has approached the Ambassador again asking the U.S. to press the UK to negotiate a treaty with Mauritius that would give sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago's outer islands (i.e. not Diego Garcia) to Mauritius. During this encounter on the margins of the UK Labour Party's September party conference, the Mauritian HiCom did not indicate whether he thought the treaty should be a bilateral treaty (UK-Mauritius) or trilateral (UK-U.S.-Mauritius). The Ambassador told the Mauritian HiCom that sovereignty of the islands is a UK-Mauritian issue and not one for the U.S. to involve itself in. (Comment: The HiCom apparently realizes that, given U.S. security interests there, no agreement is possible without at least tacit U.S. approval. End Comment.) ¶3. (C) HMG tells us it was surprised that, at a recent bilat between FCO Minister Lord Triesman and Mauritian FM Dulloo on the margins of UNGA, the subject of the Chagos Islands and Diego Garcia was never brought up. This was the second time HMG has granted a high level meeting to senior Mauritian officials at the request of the Mauritian Ambassador here to discuss these issues, and the second time the issue was never raised. FCO contacts believe the Mauritian ambassador in London may be out in front of his own government on this issue. Per ref A, FCO has reaffirmed to us its position that it would be extremely ill advised to open negotiations with Mauritius over sovereignty of the islands while locked in an ongoing legal battle with the Chagossians who want to repopulate the islands, but under British sovereignty. ¶4. (C) Embassy requests guidance for use in the event the Mauritian HiCom raises the issue with the Ambassador again. Visit London's Classified Website: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/london/index. cfm Tuttle