Mauritius reopens negotiations with UK over Chagos Islands

Demonstrators from the Chagos Islands protested at a British defiance of a United Nations deadline to end their "illegal occupation" of the Indian Ocean archipelago in Port Louis on November 22, 2019.

The Indian Ocean archipelago has been at the centre of a decades-long dispute over Britain's decision to separate it from Mauritius in 1965 and set up a joint military base with the US on Diego Garcia, the largest of the islands.

In May, a total of 116 countries voted in favour of a non-binding resolution presented by African countries that urged Britain to "withdraw its colonial administration" from the Chagos Islands within six months. ( AFP / Jean Marc POCHE)

(AFP) - An historic deal for Britain to hand over control of the strategic Chagos Islands to Mauritius has been put into question after the new prime minister issued last-minute "counter proposals".

After decades of negotiations, Britain agreed in October to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, a former colony, on the condition that a US military base can remain on the largest island, Diego Garcia.

But Mauritius Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam, who took office last month with a sweeping election victory, said Tuesday he had doubts about the deal, which has yet to be finalised.

While Mauritius "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", said Ramgoolam in a statement to parliament.

He did not give details of the counter proposals but said Britain had already issued a response earlier this week that was "currently being considered" by Ramgoolam's government.

The British PM's spokesperson said the government was "confident" the agreement was in both sides' interest, adding they were working towards finalising it with the new administration.

And Foreign Office Minister Stephen Doughty rejected suggestions from Reform UK leader Nigel Farage that there had been "very deep disquiet" from Washington over the deal.

"We are confident that when the full details of this deal are provided by the US national security apparatus that any concerns will be allayed," Doughty told parliament.

The agreement in October came after nearly two years of negotiations and marked a significant turnaround after decades of British dismissals of Mauritian sovereignty claims.

In a joint statement, the two countries said the final treaty would guarantee the continuation of the military base on Diego Garcia "well into the next century".

Britain decided in 1965 to separate the Chagos Islands from Mauritius and set up the military base, which it leased to the United States.

In doing so, it evicted thousands of Chagos islanders who have since mounted a series of legal claims for compensation in the British courts.

The military base has played a key strategic role as a hub for long-range bombers and ships, notably used during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

© Agence France-Presse