Mauritius, under new PM Navin Ramgoolam, has revised the Chagos Islands deal, calling the original terms inadequate.
The initial agreement, announced in October, involved the UK transferring sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago to Mauritius, while retaining a 99-year lease for Diego Garcia, which hosts a significant UK-US military airbase.
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The deal was finalized shortly before the election that resulted in a landslide defeat for then-Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth.
However, Ramgoolam, who succeeded Jugnauth, has expressed concerns about the agreement, which has also faced criticism from the UK’s opposition Conservative party and officials from the incoming Trump administration.
When the deal was made public after years of negotiations, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Jugnauth hailed it as a “seminal moment” in their countries’ relationship, symbolizing a commitment to peacefully resolving disputes and upholding the rule of law. The British government emphasized that the agreement would ensure the continued secure operation of the military base.
Shortly after taking office last month, Ramgoolam requested a legal review of the agreement’s terms. Speaking to the Mauritian parliament on Tuesday, he confirmed his government had submitted counter-proposals to ensure the final agreement better reflects the country’s interests.
“During the discussions, Mauritius made clear that while it is still willing to conclude an agreement with the United Kingdom, the draft agreement which was shown to us after the general elections is one which, in our view, would not produce the benefits that the nation could expect from such an agreement,” Ramgoolam told MPs.
Ramgoolam did not disclose the specific details of the counter-proposals or the nature of his objections.
He confirmed that the UK’s response to these proposals was received on Monday and is currently being reviewed.
Last week, a UK delegation, led by Harriet Mathews, the Foreign Office’s Director General for Africa, the Americas, and Overseas Territories, visited Mauritius. Mathews, accompanied by British High Commissioner Charlotte Pierre, met with Ramgoolam on December 11 to continue the negotiations.
“We remain confident the agreement is in both sides interests and will continue to work with the new Mauritius government to finalise the deal. We’ve always said we’ll engage with the new administration in order to finalise the deal,” Sir Keir’s spokesperson said, adding that there was no timeline on the deal.
The only indication of potential issues from the Mauritian side comes from comments made last month by Arvin Boolell, the Minister of Agro-Industry and Fisheries.
Boolell criticized the former prime minister for granting the UK an extended lease over Diego Garcia, claiming it was for 200 years, despite the publicized term being an initial 99 years.
“In other words,” Boolell remarked to a newspaper, “the tenant has become the owner of Diego Garcia for 200 years.”
Meanwhile, in the UK, the opposition Conservative party expressed concerns on Tuesday, stating that the terms of the proposed deal were “disadvantageous to the United Kingdom.”
In a letter to Sir Keir, the shadow defence and foreign secretaries raised “grave concerns” about the government’s plan to surrender sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory, accusing it of paying for the privilege.
James Cartlidge and Priti Patel stated, “Our view remains that the legal justification you have used for giving away sovereignty is flawed, and it is therefore no surprise that the terms reached are so disadvantageous to the United Kingdom.”
In recent years, the UK has faced growing diplomatic isolation over its claim to what it calls the British Indian Ocean Territory, with several United Nations bodies, including its top court and the General Assembly, overwhelmingly supporting Mauritius and demanding the UK relinquish control of what some refer to as its “last colony in Africa.”
Mauritius has long argued that it was coerced into giving up the Chagos Islands in exchange for its independence from the UK in 1968. At the time, the British government had already made a secret deal with the US to lease Diego Garcia for use as a military base.
The UK later apologized for forcibly removing over 1,000 islanders and pledged to return the islands to Mauritius when they were no longer needed for strategic purposes.
Until recently, the UK had insisted that Mauritius had no legitimate claim to the islands.
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