Seychelles has ceased to be a member of two regional organisations, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced.

According to the ministry's principal secretary Alain Butler-Payette, Seychelles is no longer a member of SADC (Southern African Development Community) and the IOR (Indian Ocean Rim association for regional cooperation) from July 1, 2004.

As revealed earlier last week, the ministry is also in the process of suspending the operation of diplomatic missions in the United Kingdom, South Africa and Malaysia.

These measures are being taken as a consequence of the  Macro-Economic Reform Programme (MERP) and are in line with the ministry's strategy to rationalise expenditure and maximise its human resources.

Mr Butler-Payette said that Seychelles' commitment to several international organisations, cost around US$3 million to $4 million annually, almost one quarter of the country's annual budget.

Seychelles' membership to SADC amounted to US$500,000 to $550,000 annually, and as Mr Butler-Payette pointed out, the country has over the past six years not derived as much benefit as expected from the regional body.

"After careful cost-benefit analysis, it was decided that the country's best interests are not served in the short and medium terms by continuing being a member of SADC," Mr Butler-Payette said.

"Frankly speaking, we have not seen any return so far for the money, the time and effort invested in SADC," he added.

He however maintained that SADC was a very good organisation for the African continent, but was not necessarily serving the interests of Seychelles as a small island state, especially since the country could not always adhere to all its protocols. 

Mr Butler-Payette admitted that Seychelles was moving closer to the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), which it saw as in line with the implementation of the country's new economic package.

Furthermore membership to the body was less costly – at around US$50 000 annually – and COMESA was also the African umbrella of all the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) members.

With regard to IOR, Mr Butler-Payette said it was mainly an "academic" regrouping and Seychelles, which was paying a membership fee of US$5,000 per year, had decided it was not to its advantage to continue being part of it.

Mr Butler-Payette explained that the decision to suspend the operation of the three diplomatic missions would in no way have a negative impact on Seychelles' bilateral relations or diplomatic activities with those countries in question.

Seychelles, he explained, was spending around 1.5 million Euros annually to maintain the operation of the diplomatic missions in the U.K., South Africa and Malaysia.

The country will however maintain its operation in the United States of America, which also covers Cuba and Canada, and its diplomatic mission in France, which extends to Italy, Germany, Portugal and the European Union.

Besides using its 70 consulates to cover countries in which it would no longer have a diplomatic representation, the government was hoping to make use of its embassy in France to cover the U.K., where there was quite a large Seychellois community, Mr Butler-Payette said.

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