MAURITIUS WILL NOT BUDGE ON KOSOVO

C O N F I D E N T I A L PORT LOUIS 000155 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/08/2018 TAGS: PREL PGOV KV MP SUBJECT: MAURITIUS WILL NOT BUDGE ON KOSOVO REF: A. SECSTATE 48545 ¶B. PORT LOUIS 059 Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Virginia M. Blaser for reasons 1.5 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) On May 8, DCM met with Anand Neewoor, the Mauritian Secretary General for Foreign Affairs and the senior MFA representative since last month's dismissal of the Foreign Affairs Minister, to push for GOM immediate recognition of Kosovo. Neewoor stated that the GOM had not changed its most recent position (see ref B); and that the GOM would not be recognizing Kosovo anytime soon because of their concerns that it would have implications for their "fight to regain the Chagos Islands." Neewoor granted that a few African countries had recognized Kosovo, but noted they were "only countries without concerns of split away regions." ¶2. (C) COMMENT: The GOM seems to have firmly decided that linking Kosovo to their argument on Chagos Islands is beneficial to their policies. Contacts in the UK High Commission, which lobbied Neewoor regarding Kosovo recognition on a number of occasions over the past few months, reported receiving the same Mauritian response as reflected above and in ref B. Post will continue to push the issue at high levels for reconsideration of GOM's stance on Kosovo. END COMMENT. CABRERA