1. The Gnn:rnment or the Republic or Seychelles submitted 011 28 Februar) 2018 a
writlc11 statcmcnt to the International Court or .Justioe in relation to the l IN
Gencral Assembly's rcquest for an Advisory Opinion or the Court on the Legat
Co11scq11c11ces of lhe 5,'epora/ion ol thc Clwgo.,· ArchiJJc/ogo .fi'o111 Mauritius in
/965.
rhe questions put Lo the Court ure as roi lm, s:
a) ··Wus the prooess or decolonization or Mauritius lawrully completed whcn
Mauritius "as granted independcnce in 1968. following the separation of' the
Chagos Archipdago from Mauritius and having regard to international hm.
including obi igations rdlcctcd in Gencral ;\sscmhly resolutions 1514 (XV) or
14 Deccmbcr 1960. 2066 (XX) of 16 Dcccmbcr 1965. 2232 (XXI) of_()
December 1966 and 2357 (XXfl) or 19 Dcc.:cmber 1967?
.
.
b) ··What arc the consequences under international hm. including obligations
rcflcctccl in the abovc-mcntionecl resolutions. arising from the continucd
administration h the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Nnrthern Jreland
or the Chagos Archipclagn. including \\'Ïth respect to the inability of Mauritius
lo irnplement a programme for the rcscttlcmcnt on the Chagos /\rchipclago of
its nati nais. in particular those 01· Chagossian origin'?··
3. By ils Orcier datcd 17 Januar) 2018. the Court im·itcd States and or:::ani;:ution<.;
having presented writtcn stalcmcnts to submit \\ rillcn commcnts on the othcr
\\ ritten statemcnts \\ ithin the timc-li 11it of 15 May 2018.
4. Pursuant to this Orcier. the Republic or Sc)chelles submits the folio,\ ing \\ ritkn
commems.
5. ln principal. the questions poscd fa!J within the competcnce of the L"N General
Asscmbl) \\ hich has been gui ding the decolonization process of Mauritius
pursuant tu its numerous Resolutions on the malter.
Department of Foreign Affairs, Maison Quéau de Quinss, Mont Fleuri
P.O. Box 656, Victoria, Mahé, Republic of Sc·chcllcs
6. On 8 Novcmbcr 1965. the United Kingdom cxcised Aldabrn. lksrochcs and
Farquhar islands from Sc) chdlcs. Thcsc islands. togcther ,, ith the Chago!-i
Archipclago which was cxciscd frnm Mauritius. werc includcd in a new tcrrilory
which the United Kingdom crcated and ealled the .. British Indian Ooean
Tcrritrn") ··.
7. ln the pcriod lcading to the indepcndcncc of Seychelles. the political parties in
Seychelles strongly presscd for the return o · thcsc islands so that the territoria 1
integrity or Seychelles ,vould be rcspccted. During the Scye 1elles Constitutional
Confcrencc hcld in January 976, the United Kingdom agrccd o rcturn the
islands to Seychelles upon independcncc. Aldabra, Dcsrochcs and rarquhar wcrc
thcrcfore rightfully returned to Seychelles ,, hen it atlaincd indcpcndcncc on 29
June 1976, and thcy remain constitutionally part of the terri tory or the sm en.:ign
democratic Republic of Seychelles.
8. Indeed. as prescribcd in Chapter 1 of the Constitution of the Republic or
Seychelles . .. the tcrritory of Seychelles shall consist or the islands or the
Seychelles Archipclago. as set out in Part I or Schedule 1 ·· or ils Con.-titutio 1.
Rightfull). the A!dahra Atoll. Desrochcs. and the Farquhar Atoll tèxm an intcgral
part ol'this suprcmc la\\ of the Republic of Se)chclks.
9. In contrasl. the Chagos Archipelago remain Lo date undcr the cnntrol of the
United Kingdom. By the time of the excision of the Chagos Archipelago. the
right or sell:.detcrmination "as firmly established. including in the work of the
United Nation in guiding the process of decolonization.
1 O. Accordingl). as subsequently rccogniLcd by numcrous international bodies sincc.
the decolonization of Mauritius was not complcted "hcn Mauritius was granted
indcpcnclc·nce in 1968.
11. Mauritius secks to cxcn.:isl..' sovereignty o, er the cntirct, of the Chagos
;\rchipeltgo. ,, hich will enable the implementation of a programme for the
rcsctllcmenl in the J\rchipclago of Lhc former inhabiLants ,, ho \\'crc rcscttkd by
Lhc l lnitcd Kingdom.
12. l hc Republic of Seychelles. as il cmphasizcd in its wriltcn slatcmenl submitkd lo
the Court on 28 Fcbruary 2018. reitcrates tlrnt il considcrs il to be of vital
importance for Lhc legitimate concerns of the Seychelles Chagossian communil
o be taken into due considcration by the lC.I during ils prncccdings and
ddibcrations throughout this Ad, isory Opinion.
Ambassador Barry Faure
Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs
Republic of Seychelles
Departmcnt of Foreign Affairs, Maison Quéau de Quinss. :\lont Fleuri
P.O. Box 656, Victoria, Mahé, Republic of Sc d1elles
Written Comments of the Republic of Seychelles