The new Prime Minister of Mauritius sent new proposals to Britain
Mauritius says it has submitted changes to a proposed deal on the future of the Chagos Islands, with the country’s new prime minister saying the original agreement did not sufficiently benefit his country.
under the terms of the original agreementIt was announced in October that Britain would give up Mauritius’ sovereignty over the archipelago, but retain a 99-year lease on Diego Garcia, which is home to a major UK-US military airbase.
It was finalized shortly before the election, which was chosen by then Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth. lost in a crushing defeat,
His successor Naveen Ramgoolam has since said he has reservations about the deal, which has also drawn criticism from the opposition Conservative Party in Britain and officials of the incoming Trump administration.
When the agreement was first made public after years of negotiations, British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Jugnauth hailed it as “a significant moment in our relations and a demonstration of our enduring commitment to the peaceful resolution of disputes and the rule of law”. Said.
The British government has said it also “protects the long-term safe operation of the (military) base”.
However, soon after coming into office last month, Ramgoolam asked legal experts to review the terms of the deal,
Speaking in the Mauritius Parliament on Tuesday, Ramgoolam said his government had submitted the counter-proposal with the aim of ensuring that the final agreement is in line with the country’s interests.
“During the discussion, Mauritius made clear that although it is still prepared to conclude an agreement with the United Kingdom, the draft agreement that was shown to us after the general elections is one that, in our view, would benefit “The country can expect such an agreement,” Ramgoolam told MPs.
He did not say what the counter-proposals were or the exact nature of the objections.
Ramgoolam confirmed that the UK’s response to these proposals was received on Monday and is currently under review.
A delegation of senior UK officials, led by Harriet Matthews, Director General for Africa, the Americas and Overseas Territories at the Foreign Office, visited Mauritius last week.
Along with British High Commissioner Charlotte Pierre, he met Ramgoolam on 11 December to pursue talks.
Sir Keir’s spokesman said, “We are confident that the agreement is in the interests of both parties and we will continue to work with the new Mauritius government to finalize the deal. We have always said that we are committed to finalizing the deal.” Will join with the new administration.” There was no deadline on the deal, he said.
The only indication of what the issue may be on the Mauritius side are comments made last month by Agro-Industry and Fisheries Minister Arwin Boulle.
He criticized the former Prime Minister for giving Britain a long lease on Diego Garcia – he said it was 200 years, although the publicized time frame was an initial period of 99 years.
“In other words,” Buell commented to a newspaper, “the tenant has become the owner of Diego Garcia for 200 years.”
In recent years, the UK has faced increasing diplomatic isolation over its claim to what is referred to as the British Indian Ocean Territory, with various UN bodies – including its top court and the General Assembly – siding heavily with Mauritius. And is demanding the UK to surrender. Some have called it “the last colony in Africa”.
The government of Mauritius has long argued that it was illegally forced to give up the Chagos Islands in exchange for its independence from the UK in 1968.
At the time, the British government had already negotiated a secret agreement with the US, agreeing to lease the largest atoll, Diego Garcia, for use as a military base.
Britain later apologized for the forced removal of more than 1,000 islanders from the entire archipelago and promised to hand the islands over to Mauritius when they were no longer needed for strategic purposes.
Until recently, Britain insisted that Mauritius had no legitimate claim to the islands.
