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Written by Villen Anganan
PORT LOUIS (Reuters) – Mauritius Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam is questioning the timing of a US-British military base lease, he told a local newspaper, a controversial part of talks over the UK’s plans to cede control of the Islands. Chagos. Mauritius.
Britain made an agreement in October to cede the Chagos Islands while retaining control of the island of Diego Garcia, the largest of the Indian Ocean islands, under a 99-year lease. The agreement has not been ratified.
After ousting the incumbent government in the November elections, Ramgoolam criticized the deal, without elaborating on the sticking points.
Describing the British agreement with the former government as “selling”, Ramgoolam told the local newspaper L’Express that the lease should also be registered to inflation and take exchange rates.
It must fully recognize that Mauritius owns the islands, he added, which would affect the UK’s sole right to renew the lease.
“It’s not just about money, it’s about our sovereignty,” he said, adding that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was committed to finalizing the deal before President-elect Donald Trump takes office on the 20th January.
Marco Rubio, Trump’s nominee for secretary of state, said the agreement poses a threat to US security by leaving the archipelago – with its base used by US bombers and warships – to a country that he says is cooperating with China.
Ramgoolam said: “Let’s not hurry. “We remain steadfast in our complaints and will ensure that the medium and long term interests of the country are looked after and not just the short term.”
Some in Chagossia have also criticized the talks, saying they will not support an agreement they were not involved in and said they will protest against it.
