Time has come for reparations conversation, say Commonwealth leaders

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Time has come for reparations conversation, say Commonwealth leaders

Commonwealth leaders have agreed the “time has come” for a conversation about reparations for the ****** trade, despite the ***’s ******* to keep the subject off the agenda at a two-day summit in Samoa.

A document signed by 56 heads of government, including *** Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, acknowledges calls for “discussions on reparatory justice” for the “abhorrent” transatlantic ****** trade.

The statement says it is time for a “meaningful, truthful and respectful conversation”.

Sir Keir said there had been no discussions about money at the meeting, and that the *** is “very clear” in its position that it would not pay reparations.

The *** has faced growing calls from Commonwealth leaders to apologise and pay reparations for the country’s historical role in the ****** trade.

Reparations for the benefit of those who suffered as a result of slavery

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Ahead of the summit, Downing Street had insisted the issue would not be on the agenda.

Speaking at a press conference on Saturday, Sir Keir said Commonwealth leaders had a “positive two days” in Samoa and downplayed the prominence of reparations at the summit.

“The dominant theme of the two days has been resilience and climate,” he said, adding that the section of the ****** statement discussing reparations amounts to “one paragraph in 20-something paragraphs”.

“None of the discussions have been about money. Our position is very, very clear in relation to that,” he said.

Last week, Chancellor Rachel Reeves told the BBC

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Before the statement was released, the leaders’ conclave – where commonwealth prime ministers and presidents meet without advisers – went on for about six hours.

The prime minister said it was not the conversation about reparations that had caused it to run on for so long.

One Downing Street source told the BBC: “We’ve been clear on our position and it’s not changing.”

And they have and it hasn’t – in fact the direct nature of their remarks about reparations on the way to the summit irritated some of those countries campaigning on it.

Half of the art of diplomacy is to keep things you want to talk about being talked about – keeping the conversation going, even if the prospect of imminent change is unlikely.

For those who think the time has come for countries like the *** to face up to their pasts, the communique allows them to say the conversation continues.

For the *** and others, they can say their position isn’t changing and also point to a range of other topics – trade, climate change and security for instance – that, they argue, the Commonwealth offers a vital forum for.

However, the prime minister did appear to leave the door open for further discussions about some form of reparatory justice, saying the “next opportunity to look at this” would be at the ***-Caribbean forum in 2025.

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