Your editorial (The Guardian view on Britain and the Chagos Islands: time for justice, 1 June) made a powerful case for bringing an end to a relic of the cold war and 56 years of colonial rule. The Chagos dispute has become a millstone round the neck of British diplomacy. Governments since then have failed to deal with it, choosing to hand on to their successors a mounting bill for domestic and international litigation (about £12m) and a dark stain on Britain’s human rights record. The exile of a people is a crime against humanity under the Rome statute of the international criminal court.
With political will, the UK could bring about an overall settlement to provide for those who wish to return and address the requirements of international law expressed in the advisory opinion of the international court of justice, endorsed by a resolution of the UN general assembly and the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea.
The 1966 UK/US agreement has 15 years to run. The UK and US could settle for the 99-year lease offered by Mauritius and thereby strengthen the long-term security of the base on Diego Garcia. What better way of promoting global Britain and its claim in its recent defence review to “defend universal human rights as a force for good in the world” and a rules-based international order.
David Snoxell
British high commissioner to Mauritius, 2000-04; coordinator of the Chagos Islands (BIOT) all-party parliamentary group
• Your editorial on Britain and the Chagos Islands was a welcome commentary on a sorry state of affairs. Nearly 40 years ago, the US-based political scientist Joel Larus observed that London’s hold on Diego Garcia was not as tight as British and American strategists had hoped when they separated the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius in 1965. Larus knew that Mauritius would not easily give up its claim to sovereignty over the Chagos group, including Diego Garcia. He was right; Mauritius never has, never will, and never should. It is high time for the US government to realize that it is better off striking a deal with Mauritius than trying to prolong the lifespan of this illegal and unpopular British colony. It is never the wrong time to do the right thing.
Peter Harris
Assistant professor of political science, Colorado State University
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