REPUBLIC of MAURITIUS V. UNITED KINGDOM of GREAT BRITAIN
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ARBITRATION UNDER ANNEX VII OF THE 1982 UNITED NATIONS CONVENTION ON THE LAW OF THE SEA REPUBLIC OF MAURITIUS v. UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND MEMORIAL OF THE REPUBLIC OF MAURITIUS VOLUME I 1 August 2012 TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION .............................................................................. 1 I. The Factual Chapters of the Memorial ................................................................... 3 II. The Legal Chapters of the Memorial .................................................................... 6 CHAPTER 2: GEOGRAPHY AND EARLY HISTORY ........................................ 9 I. Geography .............................................................................................................. 9 II. The Early History of Mauritius ........................................................................... 10 III. Mauritius under British Colonial Rule .............................................................. 13 IV. The Struggle for Independence ......................................................................... 16 CHAPTER 3: THE UNLAWFUL DETACHMENT OF THE CHAGOS ARCHIPELAGO ....................................................................................................... 19 I. The United Kingdom and United States Plan to Detach the Chagos Archipelago ............................................................................................................. 19 (a) Development of the initial proposals in the early 1960s ................................ 19 (b) The 1964 UK-US survey of the Chagos Archipelago ................................... 21 (c) The United States’ demand for the islands, and the issue of compensation ....................................................................................................... 22 (d) The communication of the UK-US plans for the Chagos Archipelago to the Mauritius Council of Ministers ............................................. 24 II. The September 1965 Constitutional Conference in London ............................... 26 III. Detachment of the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius ................................... 32 IV. Post-Excision Actions ....................................................................................... 40 (a) The 1966 Agreement between the United Kingdom and the United States .................................................................................................................... 40 (b) The secret financial agreement ...................................................................... 41 (c) The expulsion of the residents of the Chagos Archipelago ............................ 42 (d) The return of Aldabra, Farquhar and Desroches to Seychelles ..................... 44 (e) Mauritian independence, and domestic reaction to the excision and expulsions ............................................................................................................ 45 (f) Subsequent legal developments in relation to the expelled former residents of the Chagos Archipelago ................................................................... 47 V: The United Kingdom’s Undertakings with Regard to Fishing, Mineral and Oil Rights .......................................................................................................... 50 i (a) Fishing rights .................................................................................................. 50 (b) Mineral and oil rights ..................................................................................... 56 VI. Recent Reflections of the International Community’s Views on Sovereignty of Mauritius over the Chagos Archipelago ......................................... 58 CHAPTER 4: CREATION OF THE “MARINE PROTECTED AREA” ........... 60 I. Events Before The Creation Of The “MPA” ....................................................... 60 (1) 1977: Mauritius establishes an EEZ around the Chagos Archipelago ........... 60 (2) 1991: The United Kingdom purports to establish an FCMZ ......................... 61 (3) 2003: The United Kingdom purports to establish an EPPZ ........................... 62 (4) The Chagos Conservation Management Plan ................................................ 64 (5) Mauritius protests against the declaration of the EPPZ ................................. 64 (6) Mauritius protests against the United Kingdom’s deposit of coordinates ........................................................................................................... 66 (7) Mauritius reaffirms its EEZ, territorial sea and continental shelf .................. 67 (8) Bilateral talks in 2009 .................................................................................... 69 II. The Establishment of the “MPA” ....................................................................... 70 (1) Initial announcements and Mauritius’ reaction .............................................. 70 (2) The UK/US meeting on 12 May 2009 ........................................................... 72 (3) Exchanges between the United Kingdom and Mauritius on the proposed “MPA” ................................................................................................. 73 (4) The United Kingdom’s sudden and unilateral announcement of the creation of an “MPA” .......................................................................................... 81 CHAPTER 5: JURISDICTION ............................................................................... 86 I. Jurisdiction under the Convention ........................................................................ 87 II. The Tribunal has Jurisdiction to Interpret and Apply the Convention in Relation to the Dispute ............................................................................................ 90 (1) The dispute ..................................................................................................... 90 (2) The Tribunal has jurisdiction to determine that the United Kingdom is not the “coastal State” under the Convention .................................................. 93 (3) The Tribunal has jurisdiction to determine whether, even if the United Kingdom is a “coastal State”, it is exercising rights consistently with the Convention ............................................................................................ 97 III. Relationship With the Merits ............................................................................. 99 IV. Exchange of Views ............................................................................................ 99 V. Conclusion ........................................................................................................ 100 ii CHAPTER 6: THE UNITED KINGDOM IS NOT A COASTAL STATE ENTITLED TO DECLARE THE “MPA” ............................................. 101 I. The United Kingdom is Not the Coastal State ................................................... 101 (1) The “MPA” is purportedly established under Part V of the Convention ........................................................................................................ 102 (2) The purported establishment by the United Kingdom of maritime zones for the Chagos Archipelago is based upon a breach of fundamental principles of international law ...................................................... 103 (3) The principle of self-determination ............................................................. 104 (a) The unit of self-determination .................................................................. 106 (b) The General Assembly had the competence to interpret the right of self-determination ...................................................................................... 107 (4) The principle of uti possidetis ...................................................................... 108 (5) The “agreement” of former representatives of Mauritius to the excision of the Chagos Archipelago does not validate the dismemberment of Mauritius ............................................................................ 109 (6) Mauritius has continuously asserted its sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago ....................................................................................................... 112 (7) The United Kingdom has in effect recognised Mauritius as the coastal State in relation to its continental shelf ................................................. 114 (8) The vast majority of States have recognised the Chagos Archipelago as still belonging to Mauritius ...................................................... 115 (9) Accordingly, Mauritius is “the coastal State” within the meaning of the Convention ................................................................................................... 115 II. Mauritius is entitled to avail itself of the rights of a coastal State based on the undertakings of the United Kingdom ............................................... 116 (1) Undertakings regarding the reversion of the Chagos Archipelago to Mauritius ............................................................................................................ 117 (2) Undertakings regarding fishing rights ......................................................... 118 (3) Oil and mineral rights .................................................................................. 121 (4) Accordingly, Mauritius is entitled to avail itself of the rights of a coastal State ......................................................................................................