§ 2.35 p.m.
§ Lord BrockwayMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government what conclusions have been reached in the discussion with Mauritius regarding the future of Diego Garcia.
§ Lord TrefgarneMy Lords, recent discussions with Mauritian Ministers covered political, economic, and cultural matters, including the subject of Diego Garcia. The Government of Mauritius know that Diego Garcia will be ceded to Mauritius when it is no longer needed for defence purposes. This was confirmed by my right honourable friend the Prime Minister on the 11th July in answer to a Question in another place.
§ Lord BrockwayMy Lords, while appreciating that Answer, may I ask this: Is not Diego Garcia historically associated with Mauritius, and was it not transferred before Mauritius obtained its independence so that the nation could not take a decisive view? Would it not be possible for Her Majesty's Government to take the initiative to secure the neutralisation of the Indian Ocean so that the island would no longer be necessary for defensive purposes?
§ Lord TrefgarneMy Lords, the second part of the noble Lord's supplementary question is, I would suggest, another question. Consideration of the proposal to make the Indian Ocean a zone of peace, for example, which is one of those proposals currently being canvassed, is something we shall be ready to undertake in the right forum—but in the context of 85,000 Russian troops encamped in Afghanistan, just a few hundred miles to the north. As to the sovereignty of Diego Garcia, the position is quite clear. The United Kingdom has full sovereignty over that island.
§ Lord Goronwy-RobertsMy Lords, while agreeing with my noble friend as to the desirability of zonal neutralisation in the Indian Ocean, may I put this specific question about Diego Garcia to the noble Lord: Have the Government of Mauritius responded favourably to the suggestion by the United Kingdom that when Diego Garcia is no longer needed for technical purposes it will be handed over to them?
§ Lord TrefgarneMy Lords, the Mauritian Government are certainly aware of that position and are content with it.
§ Lord BrockwayMy Lords, the Minister said that the question of the neutralisation of the Indian Ocean is separate, but is it not the case that the reason for its retention separately from Mauritius is its use as an American base? The Minister says that the British would consider the neutralisation. If this Government really believe in world disarmament, as they say they do, can they not take the initiative in this great step?
§ Lord TrefgarneMy Lords, the fact is that the security situation in that part of the world requires the availability of Diego Garcia and its facilities to maintain our security and peace. Unilaterally to proceed along the lines that the noble Lord suggests would be most unwise.