Mauritius prime minister reopens negotiations on Chagos Islands agreement with Great Britain | News

Mauritius’ prime minister says he has made “counterproposals” to the UK over the Chagos Islands treaty.

A historic deal to hand over control of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius has been called into question after the African island nation’s new prime minister made “counter-proposals”.

The British government still plans to hand over control of the chain of around 60 islands to Mauritius, on the condition that the strategic joint UK-US military base at Diego Garcia, the largest of the islands, remains under British control for at least 99 years. years.

Mauritius Prime Minister Naveen Ramgoolam, who took office last month, said on Tuesday he had reopened talks. current contract “It will not provide the benefits that the nation expects from such an agreement.”

Ramgoolam told MPs in the Mauritian parliament that his government was “still ready to do a deal with the UK” and presented counter-proposals.

British Foreign Secretary Stephen Doughty said on Wednesday that he was confident a deal would be finalized and that it was “quite understandable” for the new Mauritanian government to seek time to work out the details.

“I am confident that we have reached a good and fair deal in the interests of both parties,” he told lawmakers in the House of Commons. “It protects the base at a commensurate cost. It has been supported in the national security architecture of the United States and India.”

Britain’s opposition Conservatives accused the government of surrendering sovereignty over British territory.

US President Joe Biden described the agreement as “historic” and emphasized its importance for the future of the US Navy base in Diego Garcia. However, supporters of US President-elect Donald Trump have criticized the deal.

The base, which houses about 2,500 American troops, has been described as a “vital platform” for security operations in the Middle East, South Asia and East Africa.

The Chagos Islands have been under British control since 1814. In the 1960s and 1970s, Britain forcibly evicted nearly 2,000 local residents to make way for a US military base that played an important role in US military operations in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan. In 2008, the US also admitted that the base was used to conduct secret flights of “terrorist” suspects.

The displaced Chagossians fought for the right to return to their homeland in British courts for many years. Under the terms of the new treaty, they and their descendants would be allowed to return to the islands, even if they were expelled from Diego Garcia.

Mauritius, an African country about 2,100 kilometers (1,300 mi) southwest of the Chagos Islands, is located off the east coast of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean.