Speeches by Doughty.

“Officials are already discussing it, and I will bring in Peter to say a bit more. Essentially, we are trying to meet the 30% target and, globally, the SDGs. We want to be in line with all the relevant international frameworks, including the IUCN.”

“Very, Mr Stephenson. You know, Chair, that we have spoken about this before and these issues are very important to me, both in relation to the overseas territories and more generally, as they are to the Foreign Secretary and other colleagues. You will be pleased to know that, at the oceans conference in Nice last week,…”

“With respect, you are speaking of hypotheticals. This will allow resettlement of the outer islands, and we will be re-establishing the visits to the islands, including to Diego Garcia. That is certainly a thing that I have had raised with me by many Chagossians in this country and those outside as well.”

“But this is a process and discussion that has been going on for many, many years.”

“The previous Government decided there would be no resettlement of the islands back in, I think, 2016.”

“Ultimately, this is going to be for Mauritius to determine, but it provides the best chance possible for people to return. Of course, it is worth remembering that on the outer islands there is not infrastructure; there is not any way of inhabiting those islands at the moment, except for very temporary periods of time, …”

“Mauritius will be responsible for resettlement on the outer islands. We are—”

“The British Chagossians will have the ability to return under resettlement. It is most likely the first time that many of them would have had the chance, and crucially, an ability to visit with the visits programme.”

“We are very clear that what happened historically was wrong, as reflected on the face of the treaty. The islands do not have a permanent population now, and they have never been self-governing. There were a number of court cases previously on these matters. There were payments that were made in full and final settlemen…”

“There have been extensive discussions with the Mauritian Government about the nature of the trust fund and how it will operate. Ultimately, though, it will be their responsibility—I do not shy away from that; it is for Mauritius to operate. There are many Chagossians in Mauritius who are very supportive of this process…”

“The first point is that this, fundamentally, was a negotiation between two states—between the UK and Mauritius. Nevertheless, I have engaged with Chagossian groups on a number of occasions. It is worth recognising that there is a wide range of opinion in the Chagossian communities. There are some Chagossian groups—Chag…”

“Yes, any military observers—anything that could compromise our security or that of Diego Garcia.”

“There is a requirement for joint agreement on a whole series of matters in this, and of course, dispute resolution mechanisms which are there clearly to prevent. We are very clear that the treaty prevents the presence of any forces on the outer islands that could be hostile to our interests.”

“My understanding is that Mauritius can, but we are very clear that the presence of foreign forces would require joint agreement. Therefore, we have an effective veto over the presence of any civilian or military forces on the outer islands or within reach of Diego Garcia. That is very important in terms of what we were…”

“We are all signed up to lots of different treaties—”

“We are absolutely clear that the base will continue to operate as it always has done, and we will be compliant with our international legal operations.”

“We are not a party to the Pelindaba treaty.”

“I am not going to go into the detail of hypothetical operational scenarios on Diego Garcia. They are long established. There are established protocols and ways of working, and we have an exchange of notes with them that we adhere to, but I am not going to go into hypothetical situations about the future.”

“What I will say is that we are absolutely clear that our agreement does not in any way infringe on our obligations. Of course, the UK is not a party to Pelindaba; we are only party to protocols 1 and 2. It is for African states to join the main part, but we are very clear that our obligations will be met going into the…”

“As you know, we do not comment on nuclear weapons issues, and certainly not in Parliament.”