UK is ‘mid-negotiation’ with Mauritius on Chagos Islands deal
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The UK is “mid-negotiation” on a revised deal to hand back the Chagos Islands, a minister has said. Reports had suggested that Mauritian Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam is holding a special cabinet meeting on Wednesday morning to sign off the deal. But Chief Secretary to the Treasury Darren Jones said the UK was still negotiating with Mauritius.
The UK and Mauritius have said they have made “good progress” on a revised agreement, with Mr Ramgoolam claiming the UK wants it finalised before Donald Trump is sworn in as US president on January 20. The future of the joint UK-US military base on Diego Garcia – the largest island in the Chagos archipelago – might be secured for only 50 years rather than the 99 years initially discussed, media reports have suggested.
“We are mid-negotiation with the Mauritian government on the Chagos Islands,” Mr Jones told LBC. “Listeners will probably know, I suspect, that this is an island that is an important military base for the UK, important to our national security. It’s right, therefore, that we secure our presence and operations on that island.”.
The Government is negotiating a “long-term lease” to continue operations on the military base, he said. “But what I can’t tell you now is the kind of details, because they are mid-negotiation. That will get presented in the normal way to Parliament, like any other treaty, in due course.”.
