Mauricio hints that talks are stalled over money

Mauritius’ deputy prime minister has hinted that negotiations with the UK over the future of the Chagos Islands are stalled over the amount of money involved.

Under the terms of the original deal, announced in October, the UK would cede sovereignty to Mauritius over the archipelago but maintain a 99-year lease for Diego Garcia, home to a major British-US military air base.

As part of the deal, the UK said it would provide a package of financial support to Mauritius, including annual payments and infrastructure investments, but neither side has said how much that entails.

However, a new government in Mauritius, elected since the agreement was first signed, has said it wants to see some changes.

The proposed deal has also drawn criticism in the United Kingdom, where the opposition Conservative Party called it a “monumental failure of statecraft.”

When the deal was first made public after years of talks, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and then Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth called it “a pivotal moment in our relationship and a demonstration of our enduring commitment to peaceful dispute resolution and the rule of law.”

It sought to end decades of uncertainty and dispute over the status of the islands.

In a joint statement issued on Friday, the United Kingdom and Mauritius said they were committed “to finalizing a treaty as quickly as possible” that included “the safe and effective operation of the existing base at Diego Garcia and that Mauritius is sovereign over the archipelago.” “. “.

They added that the “ongoing conversations” were productive.

Mauritius’ new government, elected in a landslide last month, has not been explicit in public about exactly what its problems were with the deal.

But on Sunday, before his constituents, Deputy Prime Minister Paul Bérenger spoke about the money at stake.

“This base existed on our land, on our territory… but it’s not just about our sovereignty. There are some things you can’t accept if you’re a true patriot. They’re trying to get us to sign and they’re arguing over a small amount,” said.

Speaking in parliament last week about the negotiations, Bérenger admitted that Mauritius needs “money to get out of the economic mess that the previous government put us in, but not at any price, under any conditions.”

Addressing MPs on Friday, Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam said the UK was keen to complete the deal “before (Donald) Trump is sworn in as president on January 20”.

Marco Rubio, Trump’s nominee for secretary of state, has described the deal as a threat to U.S. security.

Last week in the UK House of Commons, Shadow Foreign Secretary Dame Priti Patel accused the Labor government of putting the UK’s national security at risk, ignoring the interests of the Chagossians and “letting our position in free fall” in an increasingly dangerous world.

“How much will the British taxpayer be responsible for each year, and in total, for 99 years?” she asked.

Foreign Secretary Stephen Doughty insisted the deal would improve, not harm, UK security, saying it would protect the operation of the military base and ensure it was “on a secure footing well into the next century.” .

In recent years, the United Kingdom has faced increasing diplomatic isolation over its claim to what it calls the British Indian Ocean Territory, and several bodies of the United Nations – including its high court and its general assembly – have They have overwhelmingly sided with Mauritius and demanded that the United Kingdom hand over what some have called the “last colony in Africa.”

The Mauritian government has long argued that it was illegally forced to give up the Chagos Islands in exchange for its own independence from the United Kingdom in 1968.

Until very recently, the United Kingdom insisted that Mauritius had no legitimate claim to the islands.