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Mauritian Prime Minister Rejects Blinken’s Call to Sign Deal With UK on Chagos – Reports

Sputnik – 25.12.2024

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Mauritian Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam to sign the deal with the United Kingdom on the status of the Chagos archipelago, which was agreed by the previous Mauritian government, but he was refused, a news portal reported, citing sources.

Ramgoolam made it clear that he did not agree with the original agreement reached in October and told Blinken that he had sent a counter-offer to London, the report said on Tuesday.

The report noted that Ramgoolam thus confirmed his desire to achieve a better deal for Mauritius.

On October 3, the United Kingdom agreed to hand sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. Under the deal, the UK also promised to create a new trust fund and provide other support for the benefit of Chagossians, as well as to provide a package of financial support to Mauritius, including an “indexed annual payment for the duration of the agreement” and infrastructure investment, according to the UK-Mauritius joint statement. The UK however will retain control of the US-UK base on the Diego Garcia island for an initial period of 99 years. To enter into force, the deal must be ratified in the British parliament, which is expected next year.

Mauritius and the Chagos Islands had been colonial possessions of the British Crown since 1845. In 1968, Mauritius gained independence, but the islands remained a British overseas territory. In the 1960s and 1970s, the Chagos population was deported to the Seychelles and Mauritius. In 1966, the UK leased the largest island, Diego Garcia, to the United States for 50 years. The lease was extended for 20 years in 2016.

December 25, 2024 Posted by | Illegal Occupation, Militarism | , , , | 1 Comment

Mauritius & Britain Launch Talks Over Chagos Islands

By Muhammad Osman – Samizdat – 02.01.2023

Since Mauritius got its independence from the United Kingdom in 1968, the African country has long called for the full return of the Chagos islands, where the UK set up a joint military base with the United States in 1966. In 2019, the International Court of Justice ruled that London’s administration of the Indian Ocean territory is “unlawful.”

Mauritius and the United Kingdom have finally opened negotiations on the exercise of sovereignty over the disputed Chagos archipelago in the Indian Ocean, where the UK has a joint military base with the United States, Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth announced on Sunday.

“The latest developments on the Chagos issue are very encouraging. Negotiations between Mauritius and Britain have begun,” Jugnauth said.

Occupied by Britain since 1814, the Chagos archipelago was not fully returned to Mauritius when it won independence from the UK in 1968, as the European kingdom had established a joint military base with the US two years earlier on Diego Garcia, the largest of the 60 small islands of the Chagos archipelago.

The government of Port Louis and the Chagossians, the indigenous population of the archipelago that was forced to leave the island upon the establishment of the UK-US base, have long fought in British courts to get the occupied territory back.

However, in 2019, Mauritius’ efforts were crowned with success after the International Court of Justice ruled that London must end its “unlawful” administration of the Indian Ocean territory. The UN’s highest court’s decision was followed by a General Assembly resolution that stressed, “The Chagos Archipelago forms an integral part of the territory of Mauritius,” calling on the UK to withdraw within six months.

In November 2022, UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly announced that London and Port Louis had agreed to launch “constructive negotiations” on the disputed territory, highlighting that the joint UK-US military base on Diego Garcia will continue to operate regardless of the outcome of negotiations.

“Taking into account relevant legal proceedings, it is our intention to secure an agreement on the basis of international law to resolve all outstanding issues, including those relating to the former inhabitants of the Chagos Archipelago,” Cleverly said.

January 2, 2023 Posted by | Illegal Occupation | , , , | 3 Comments