The modesty in his voice is unmistakable. So are his polished manners. Renowned for being a gentleman, Arvin Boolell lives up to his reputation as he answers our questions about the problems of piracy, the Chagos dossier and a possible second republic.

¦ The ministerial conference you hosted and co-chaired with the EU High Representative on Security and Foreign Affairs was well- attended. What was the outcome?

The ministerial conference adopted two landmark documents, namely the regional strategy and the action plan. We have looked at the various solutions, both regionally and internationally. The issue has also been raised several times at the UN Security Council. The impact on economic and commercial space is very far reaching because safe water ways are the life blood of small island developing states, coastal states and landlocked countries of the region.

¦ But why does Mauritius feel concerned? Is it because of our imports and exports?

Mauritius feels concerned because 90% of the volume of trade of regional countries is by sea. For example, we are the biggest exporters of tuna to the UK and third biggest to the EU. The impact on our seafood hub and other economic sectors can have far reaching consequences.

¦ But are we not over-estimating the risks and the problem in general?

No, no. The problem should have been contained right from the outset in the Gulf of Aden. It is not because the problem is yet to reach us that we have to refuse involvement.

¦ We perhaps should not refuse to get involved but why should we go to the extent of having Somali prisoners here?

First of all, since Mauritius is a member of several regional organizations, we cannot shirk our responsibilities. However, nothing is agreed until everything is agreed. But we cannot remain insensitive or indifferent because the spillover is yet to reach our shores.

¦ The leader of the opposition is suggesting that we send these prisoners to Reunion instead of housing them ourselves. Wouldn’t you agree with him?

Every country is going to be onboard. Reunion, as a member of the Indian Ocean Commission and one of the “Pays Ultra-Périphériques de l’Europe” is playing its part fully.

¦ But Mauritius hasn’t signed the treaty yet. Is it because of the disagreement over the death penalty issue?

No, this is an issue that we can work around.

¦ How would you work around it?

I’m not an expert in legal matters, but there are ongoing discussions between the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and our judiciary. And of course our office is monitoring the situation very closely. There is a special committee looking at this issue and I am confident that this problem will be resolved.

¦ But if it is not the death penalty issue which is in the way, why haven’t you signed the treaty?

The issue is very complex and the responsibility has to be collective. In the event of an agreement for the transfer of prisoners, all countries will have to assume their responsibilities fully. The problem cannot be offloaded on one or two particular countries. We don’t want to rush into things.

¦ Do you mean that the Seychelles and Kenya have rushed into it?

I’m not saying that they have rushed into it, but there are lessons to be drawn. I had a long meeting with my colleague minister Morgan from the Seychelles, who is responsible for security matters. He has informed me that the provisions in the memorandum which Seychelles has signed with the EU need to be reviewed and strengthened.

¦ In Kenya, they could not cope with pirates so, most of the time, they just disarmed them and let them go. Won’t we be forced to do the same?

Prosecution can be difficult. Training of police officers and judges on evidence handling and other related matters such as human rights issues, human trafficking, money laundering and terrorism is vital. We are working closely with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime to update our Merchant and Shipping Act legislation and make it attuned to international legislation. Then we need all the logistics and proper infrastructure, and resources have to be disbursed upfront to meet the full cost. A possible site has been identified at Petit Verger for the construction of a prison for this purpose.

¦ But don’t we have enough prisoners of our own? Our prisons are at bursting point!

This is why we say that resources have to be disbursed up front. We have to make sure that there is a firm commitment concerning these resources.

¦ This is all very well. But isn’t the problem of piracy like the problem of terrorism? Doesn’t it have a root cause?

There is a root cause and we are wise after the event. Had the problem been contained in the Gulf of Aden right from day one, things would probably have been different.

¦ I’m also talking about the abject poverty of the Somalians and the fact that the sea has been depleted by the Japanese!

Somalia is a failed state and the root problem is multi- faceted – from ethnic problems to absolute poverty, to the failure of institutions. And you are right to say that one of the sectors which generated employment and revenue was the fisheries sector. The fish stock was depleted not only by the Japanese, but also by European fishing trawlers and those involved in illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.

¦ How are you going to deal with this problem?

The problem has been raised several times. According to the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), at least 50,000 standby personnel forces need to be deployed and pledges made by financial donors have to be committed to address the basic needs of the Somalian people. Unfortunately, when we refer to the findings of the report submitted by the Secretary General of the UN on the issue of Somalia, much remains to be done. However, there is hope because the port of Mogadishu is being secured.

¦ Coming to your role as minister of Foreign Affairs, you know most ministers of foreign affairs now are engaged in commercial diplomacy. Are you also going down that route? Have you secured anything?

Let me make it quite clear that the days of PREFERENCES are over. At the regional level, we are widening our market access, and discussions are ongoing amongst the three regional economic communities, the SADC, the COMESA and the Eastern and Southern African Community, to have an enlarged free trade agreement. The ultimate objective is to have a single market that will stretch from Port Louis to Cairo. We expect to conclude a full Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the EU in the not too distant future and the eventual conclusion of the DOHA development round will be the best stimulus package for international trade and the benefits accruing will be advantageous for developing countries like Mauritius. We are fully engaged to enter into Free Trade Area Agreements with Turkey which has a Customs Union with EU, Pakistan, and European Free Trade Areas like Switzerland and Norway. Our ancestral and cultural values have enabled us to consolidate bilateral trade relations with Mozambique, India and China.

¦ What about circular migration?

We need to widen the circle of opportunities for those who have basic academic qualifications, and we are tying up with places like the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Quebec. Joint courses are going to be run by MITD to skill our young people to take up employment in Canada. We have already signed and ratified an agreement with France. The “Comité de Suivi” will meet in Paris in the weeks to come and the possible recruitment of 850 Mauritians to take up employment in France in different fields of economic activity is in the pipeline. There is of course a reciprocal dimension to the agreement with France and we may expect young French professionals or skilled persons to take up employment in Mauritius in scarcity areas.

¦ I’d like to move to the Chagos dossier, if I may. Any update?

In respect of the Chagos, the issue of sovereignty and resettlement is one and the same. It is like a mother-infant bond. We have the full support of the international community and nearly all the member states of the EU are supportive of the cause of Mauritius.

¦ And Britain is still deaf?

It’s like Britain has suddenly become deaf to the UN crowd and the international community, on a cause which is just and I’m not going to refer to the resolutions voted in the UN.

¦ And what about the big noise about the letter which was a “mistake”?

Irrespective of the government of the day, the brief of the British is one and the same.

¦ What is this?

They still believe that they have a right to the socalled “British Indian Ocean Territories” despite the fact that they have stated that the Chagos will be returned to Mauritius when no longer needed for defence purposes. When Foreign Minister William Hague was questioned by MPs in the Foreign Policy Committee, he stated that we should not romanticize the issue and that, after all, the atoll is only one metre above sea-level and therefore the issue of resettlement does not arise. What I am saying is: if the atoll is only one metre above sea -level, why don’t you get the hell out of there? Our Prime minister’s unequivocal stand at the UN General Assembly last year that our independence is not complete until we have fully exercised our sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago including Diego Garcia, was very strong.

¦ So was yours at the speech you made at the United Nations this time. Did the Prime minister have an input in it?

Any statement made by a minister, be it at the National Assembly or the U.N. General Assembly, has to be vetted by the Prime minister. One is speaking on behalf of the Republic and it stands to reason that the
PM has to scrutinize the speech. It is the politics of Mauritius which are being broadcast to the international community. I addressed the UN General Assembly as head of the Mauritian delegation and representative of the PM. There is nothing wrong with him deciding what I should say on his behalf and on behalf of the country.

¦ What are the prospects?

First of all, we are stepping up our diplomatic and political lobbying. The judicial avenue is being considered very seriously.

¦ What are we waiting for?

We have already established a road map and a socioeconomic study will be carried out to establish revenue foregone by the Republic of Mauritius since Independence because we have been denied our rights to exercise our full sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago including Diego Garcia. We set aside the consultation paper on the marine protected area which was circulated by the British outside the bilateral discussions because it was a ploy to deny any citizens of Mauritius or Mauritians of Chagossian origin to return to their homeland. The ratification of the Pelindaba treaty and the commission which will emanate from the treaty strengthened our case because the zone has to be free from nuclear weapons. Since discussions on the renewal of the lease of Diego Garcia will start in 2014, we have impressed on both the US and the UK that Mauritius has to be party to all negotiations as our right to exercise our sovereignty is legitimate and moral.

¦ You have accepted to participate in a conference organized by Lalit, haven’t you?

I have not yet accepted. But when Lalit held a round table discussion at the municipality of Port Louis I made it a point to attend. When our friends from Lalit have solicited meetings with me or the secretary for foreign affairs, we’ve always listened to them, and I must say that some of their proposals are very good.

¦ Which, for example?

Their stand on the Pelindaba treaty. I must say that I appreciate some of the comments that they have made. On this issue, we have a common stand as citizens of the Republic of Mauritius and we are fully supportive of the sensitive issue. As our Prime Minster has stated, unless and until we are able to fully exercise our sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago including Diego Garcia, our independence will not be complete. Everybody has to agree that our right to exercise our sovereignty is legitimate because it is entrenched in our domestic laws and several UN resolutions.

¦ Are you going to be there then, at Lalit’s conference?

If there is a formal invitation, I will consider it. It is a non-partisan issue and the international community is sensitive to our cause.

¦ What do you think the outcome of the conference will be?

Any person or entity willing to sensitize the international community at large on an issue that is important to our sovereignty has its relevance. And it deserves full support.

¦ There has been talk recently about a “second republic”, and there seems to be almost an agreement between the opposition and the government that we should have one.

As you know the issue of a second republic appears in our electoral manifesto. Our main concern, against a back of economic difficulties in the EU, especially in the Euro Zone, is to address issues which are more pressing and relevant to the needs of our people.

¦ So what is the idea behind having a second republic?

To deepen the democratic process.

¦ In what ways?

We need to have a discussion at the bar of public opinion. It is not an issue that can be discussed only between political parties. It needs to be discussed with the people, and they have to be fully informed about the merits of a second republic. Let us look at the basic question: how will it improve the values of democracy? Will the demarcation line between democratic institutions become wider? Will it consolidate what is being preached and implemented by the government, that meritocracy will enhance national unity and solidarity? And if the objective is simply to widen the circle of opportunities for opportunists, it defeats the purpose. The PM has stated that we need to be open to suggestions and the process has to be an inclusive one, but these suggestions should not only come from political parties. At present, if I talk to the common man in the street, he will not understand the relevance and meaning of whether we should or should not have a president with wider powers whether this president should be elected by the people or an electoral college. Of course, we cannot forego our prior commitments to the reviewing of the electoral system, and the financing of political parties. If the objective of having a second republic is to have a better future, then we cannot use the language of the past.

Interviewed by Touria PRAYAG
 PHOTOS : CYNTHIA EDOUARD