Mauritius has announced that it has submitted changes to a proposed deal over the future of the Chagos archipelago, with the country’s new prime minister saying the original agreement did not provide sufficient benefits for his country.
Under the terms of the original agreement, announced in October, Britain would relinquish sovereignty over the Mauritian Islands but maintain a 99-year lease on Diego Garcia, home to a major Anglo-American military air base.
The plan was finalized just before the elections in which then Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth lost in a landslide.
His successor, Navin Ramgoolam, has since expressed disapproval of the deal, drawing criticism from Britain’s opposition Conservative party and incoming Trump administration officials.
When the agreement was first announced after years of consultation, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Jugnauth called it “a key moment in our relationship and a commitment to the peaceful resolution of disputes and the rule of law.” “This is a demonstration of our enduring commitment.”
The UK government said it would “also protect the long-term safe operation of (military) bases”.
But soon after taking office last month, Mr. Ramgoolam asked legal experts to review the terms of the deal.
Speaking in the Mauritius parliament on Tuesday, Mr Ramgoolam said the government had submitted a counter-proposal aimed at ensuring that the final agreement was consistent with the country’s interests.
“During the consultations, Mauritius made it clear that although it remains willing to enter into an agreement with the UK, the draft agreement presented to us after the general election does not, in our view, provide the benefits that the UK would bring. can look forward to such an agreement,” Ramgoolam told MPs.
He did not specify the contents of the counterproposal or the exact nature of the objections.
Mr Ramgoolam confirmed that the UK’s response to these proposals was received on Monday and is currently under consideration.
A high-level British delegation led by Harriet Matthews, Director-General for Africa, the Americas and Overseas Territories at the Foreign Office, visited Mauritius last week.
Accompanied by British High Commissioner Charlotte Pierre, he met with Mr. Ramgoolam on December 11 to advance negotiations.
“We remain confident that this agreement is in the mutual interest of both parties and will continue to work with the new Mauritian government to finalize the agreement. “We have said so,” a spokesperson for Sir Keir said. He added that the contract had no expiration date.
The only hint of possible trouble from the Mauritian side was comments made last month by Agriculture, Fisheries and Fisheries Minister Ervin Bouhlel.
He criticized the former Prime Minister for granting Britain a long-term lease on Diego Garcia, saying that the announced deadline was 200 years instead of the original 99 years.
“In other words, the tenant has become the owner of Diego Garcia for 200 years,” Bourel told the newspaper.
Meanwhile, in the UK, the opposition Conservative Party said on Tuesday that the terms of the proposed deal were “unfavorable to the UK”.
In a letter to Sir Keir, the shadow defense secretary and foreign secretary said: “We have grave concerns about your government’s plans to relinquish sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory and pay for the privilege. ” he said.
James Cartledge and Priti Patel said: “It is our view that the legal justification you have used to transfer sovereignty is flawed. Therefore, the terms agreed are No wonder it’s so unfavorable.”
In recent years, the United Kingdom has faced increasing diplomatic isolation over its sovereignty over the so-called British Indian Ocean Territories, with various United Nations bodies, including the Supreme Court and the United Nations General Assembly, overwhelmingly siding with Mauritius. is requesting the extradition of the Some call it “Africa’s last colony.”
The Mauritian government has long argued that it was illegally forced to cede the Chagos Islands in exchange for independence from Britain in 1968.
At the time, the British government had already signed a secret agreement with the United States, agreeing to lease the largest atoll, Diego Garcia, as a military base.
Britain later apologized for forcibly removing more than 1,000 islanders from across the archipelago and promised to hand over the islands to Mauritius once they were no longer needed for strategic purposes.
Until recently, the UK claimed that Mauritius itself had no legitimate claim to the islands.
