Mauritius’ new prime minister says he has called for an independent review of a deal with Britain over the future of the Chagos archipelago.
Under the deal, which is still to be signed, Britain will relinquish sovereignty over the archipelago but retain a 99-year lease on Diego Garcia, home to a major British and American military air base.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s spokesman said on Thursday that Naveen Ramgoolam “has indicated that he is open to this historic deal”.
Ramgoolam, who was elected prime minister of Mauritius two weeks ago, told the Mauritian parliament that he had requested a review and the findings would be considered by the cabinet.
When the deal was signed after years of negotiations, Starmer and then-Mauritian foreign minister Pravind Jugnauth called it “an important moment in our relationship that demonstrates our enduring commitment to the peaceful resolution of disputes and the rule of law.” .
But on the campaign trail, Ramgoolam and his allies in the Change Alliance described the deal as a “betrayal” motivated by desperation ahead of the vote.
Arvin Boolell, the newly appointed Minister of Agriculture, Industry and Fisheries, elaborated on the objections in comments on Monday.
He criticized the former prime minister for granting Britain a long-term lease on Diego Garcia – which he said was for 200 years, although the published term was originally 99 years.
The Alliance for Change is not the only country to have reservations about the deal – Marco Rubio, Trump’s nominee for secretary of state, said in October that the deal, which would hand the islands over to countries allied with China, would be a threat to the U.S. It poses a “serious threat” to national security.
Some groups representing Chagossian interests have also expressed unease that they have been excluded from the negotiations.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Foreign Secretary David Lamy defended the deal as a “good deal”.
“I’m very, very confident, from a cross-party perspective, that Mauritians will see this as a good deal for them,” Lamy said on Thursday.
The deal remains subject to treaty finalization.
Details of the treaty’s legal text are being worked out and are expected to be submitted to the UK Parliament for review next year.
