Commonwealth heads of government are preparing to defy the United Kingdom and front.
Downing Street insists the issue is not on the agenda for the 56-country Commonwealth summit, which begins in the Pacific island nation of Samoa on Friday.
But diplomatic sources said officials were negotiating a deal to carry out further research and start a “meaningful conversation” about a problem that could leave the UK owing billions of pounds in repairs.
Frederick Mitchell, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Bahamas, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “Once you deal with the subject, it may take a while for people to come back, but they will come back.
Restorative justice for slavery can come in many forms, including financial reparations, debt relief, official apologies, educational programs, building museums, economic support, and public health assistance.
The current text of the draft communication of the summit – made known to the BBC – says: “Heads, noting calls for discussions on restorative justice regarding the transatlantic trade of enslaved Africans and chattel slavery .. . agree that the time has come for a meaningful, true and respectful conversation towards the forging of a common future based on equity.”
It says that the heads of government would have “an active role in provoking such inclusive conversations that address these damages” and that they have agreed “to prioritize and facilitate further research on the transatlantic trade of enslaved Africans and slavery of furniture that encourages and supports the conversation and informs a way forward”.
The text – which could also change once The heads of the Commonwealth arrive – was hammered by diplomats before the summit. British officials managed to block a plan for a completely separate statement on the subject.
The United Kingdom did not want any language in the communiqué on restorative justice, but for the time being it will accept that it will include three full paragraphs setting out the Commonwealth’s detailed position.
Officials of Caricom, the body that represents the countries of the Caribbean, have sought to expand the problem so that it includes not only the slave trade across the Atlantic, but also the Pacific.
The draft communication says that the majority of member states “share common historical experiences in relation to this abominable trade, chattel slavery, debilitation and dispossession of indigenous people”.
It also directly refers to practices known as “blackbirding,” where Pacific Islanders were tricked or kidnapped into slavery or cheap labor in colonies throughout the region.
Diplomats said the expectation now was that restorative justice would be a central focus of the agenda for the next Commonwealth summit in two years in the Caribbean, possibly Antigua and Barbuda.
In the run-up to this year’s summit, there have been growing calls from Commonwealth leaders for the UK to apologize and make reparations worth trillions of pounds for the country’s historic role in the slave trade.
A report published last year by the University of the West Indies – supported by Patrick Robinson, a judge who sits on the International Court of Justice – concluded that the UK owes more than £18 billion in reparations for its role in slavery in 14 Caribbean countries.
Last weekend, Bahamas Prime Minister Philip Davis used a visit by Foreign Minister Baroness Chapman to say the fight for reparations was far from over.
Bahamian Foreign Minister Frederick Mitchell told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “The word is sorry, it’s the word.”
He said for the meeting of the Commonwealth, “it is a simple matter – it can be done, a sentence, a line”.
Asked how much reparations should be, Mr Mitchell said it was not just a matter of money but of “respect, recognizing that the past was a mistake that needs to be corrected”.
He said that member countries “want the conversation to start” but “there still seems to be a reluctance to have the conversation.”
The culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, said the UK had heard calls for reparations for slavery “loud and clear” but that the prime minister was “right” to “focus on the future”.
A British government spokesman said they would not comment on the leak to the BBC, but added: “Reparations are not on the agenda of the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting. The position of the government hasn’t changed – we don’t pay for reparations.
“We are focused on using the summit at (the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting) to discuss the shared opportunities we can unlock across the Commonwealth – including securing more economic growth.”
It is understood that the position of Downing Street – that restorative justice is not on the agenda – while technically correct, has angered some Caribbean ministers when it was obvious that the problem would be discussed at the summit.
The BBC’s political editor, Chris Mason, said the tenor and tone of the language from the British government had helped to “irritate even more” some members who might not have expected the UK to change the their view and “suddenly they start throwing around a lot of money.”
Sir Keir Starmer landed in Samoa late on Wednesday UK time, becoming the first sitting prime minister to visit a Pacific island nation.
Speaking to reporters en route, he said he wanted to discuss current challenges with Commonwealth leaders, particularly climate change, rather than problems of the past.
“What they are most interested in is, we can help them work with, for example, international financial institutions on the types of packages they need now in relation to the challenges they are facing,” he said.
“That’s where I’m going to put my focus – rather than what will end up being very, very long endless discussions about repairs in the past.
“Of course, slavery is abhorrent to everyone; the trade and the practice, there is no question. But I think that from my point of view … I prefer to roll up the sleeves and work with them on the current challenges of the future than to spend a lot of time in the past”.
King Charles arrived in Samoa for a four-day visit on Wednesday and is due to formally open the summit.
In a visit to Kenya last year, the King expressed the “greatest pain and regret” for the “misdeeds” of the colonial era, but stopped short of issuing an apology, which would require the agreement of the ministers.
Some non-Caribbean countries are not unsympathetic towards the British position and want the summit to focus more on existing challenges – such as climate change, which negatively affects many Commonwealth countries, about half of which are small island states.
But the Caribbean countries seem determined to continue pressing the issue.
All three candidates hoping to be elected this weekend as the next Commonwealth secretary-general – Ghana’s Shirley Botchwey, Lesotho’s Joshua Setipa and Gambia’s Mamadou Tangara – have said they support restorative justice.
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