TNAG-1218-FCO40-1523-Future-of-the-Dependent-Territories-1983 — Page 76

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THIS IS A COPY THE ORIGINAL HAS BEEN CLOSED FOR

YEARS UNDER FOI EXEMPTION No......27(1).....

NAM Summit

8.

Despite UK lobbying of the Mauritians, and the Indians as

Conference Chairman of the NAM Summit held from 7-11 March, the

passage on the Indian Ocean in the final communique singles out

Diego Garcia as the only military "base" while ignoring Soviet

facilities in the Indian Ocean. It also endorses the Mauritius

claim to sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago which it

alleges "was detached from the territory of Mauritius by the

former Colonial Power in 1965 in contravention of United Nations

General Assembly Resolution 1514 (xv) and 2066 (xx)". This

endorsement treads new ground, and is a disappointing (though not unexpected) result for the UK. We can now expect the

Mauritian claim to be raised and endorsed in all the main

international fora of which Mauritius is a member, including the

UN General Assembly. Those hostile to our interests can be

expected to play the issue up.

Ilois Passports/Citizenship

9.

The nationality background of the Ilois is complex and will vary between individuals. In broad terms however the

situation is as follows. Mauritius, including the Chagos Archipelago, was a colony for the purposes of the British Nationality Act 1948. Thus from 1 January 1949 citizenship of the United Kingdom and Colonies (CUKC) was acquired by virtue of a connection with the territory (eg by birth or by descent from

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