Mauritius’s new government is holding up a landmark sovereignty deal with the UK over the Chagos Islands due to financial disagreements.
Deputy Prime Minister Paul Bérenger told his constituents on Sunday that negotiations were stalling over monetary terms.
“This base existed on our land, on our territory… but not only it is [about] our sovereignty,” Bérenger said.
“There are some things you can’t accept if you’re a true patriot.
“They are trying to make us sign and they are quibbling on a small amount.”
Speaking in parliament last week, Bérenger admitted Mauritius needs “money to get out of the economic mess the previous government got us into, but not at any price, not under any conditions”.
Under the terms of the original agreement announced in October, the UK would relinquish sovereignty of the Chagos archipelago to Mauritius whilst maintaining a 99-year lease for Diego Garcia, home to a major UK-US military airbase.
The UK committed to providing a package of financial support to Mauritius, including annual payments and infrastructure investment.
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When first announced, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and then Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth hailed it as a “seminal moment” in their relationship.
In a joint statement on Friday, both nations affirmed their commitment “to finalising a treaty as quickly as possible”.
There is growing urgency to finalise the deal ahead of the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump in the US
Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam told MPs on Friday that the UK was keen to complete the agreement “before [Donald] Trump swears in as president on 20 January”.
The proposed deal has already faced criticism from Trump’s camp, with Marco Rubio, his pick for secretary of state, describing it as a threat to US security.
Paul Bérenger (L)
REUTERS
Both the UK and Mauritius acknowledged in their Friday joint statement that “ongoing conversations” remained productive, despite the financial disagreements.
In the UK, the deal has faced strong opposition from the Conservative Party.
Shadow Foreign Secretary Dame Priti Patel accused the Labour Government of putting national security at risk and “letting our standing go into freefall” in an increasingly dangerous world.
“How much is the British taxpayer going to be liable for each year, and in total, over 99 years?” she asked in the House of Commons.
Foreign Office Minister Stephen Doughty defended the agreement, insisting it would enhance UK security rather than damage it.
He said the deal would protect the military base’s operation and ensure it was “on a safe footing well into the next century”.
The UK has faced mounting diplomatic pressure over its control of the Chagos Islands in recent years.
Various United Nations bodies, including its top court and general assembly, have overwhelmingly sided with Mauritius, demanding the UK surrender what some have called its “last colony in Africa”.
Mauritius has long maintained it was illegally forced to give up the Chagos Islands in exchange for its independence from Britain in 1968.
Until recently, the UK had insisted that Mauritius had no legitimate claim to the islands.
