UK Sets Time-Bound Pace for Slavery Apology Talks, Commonwealth Leaders Say

The United Kingdom has agreed to take part in structured, time-bound, inclusive and good-faith talks addressing the “historical harms” of the transatlantic slave trade, according to Commonwealth leaders in Antigua.

The joint conclusions marking the end of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, known as the communiqué, set out what was agreed.

The 18-page document includes a paragraph in which leaders said they “welcome the agreement of the Government of the United Kingdom to engage in a structured, time-bound, inclusive and good-faith dialogue with affected parties addressing the transatlantic trafficking of enslaved Africans and its historical harms.”

The announcement follows Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s indication that he was open to a formal apology on behalf of the UK for its role in the slave trade, while ruling out reparations.

Officials said the timeframe for the talks would be decided later, though Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband suggested they were likely to conclude within around a year.

Asked whether the government might reach a formal apology by the time it hosts the G20 leaders’ summit in Manchester next November, Miliband told BBC Newscast: “Broadly speaking, yes.”

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