Trump has right to consider deal over Chagos Islands – Downing Street


The United Kingdom is urging incoming US President, Donald Trump, to consider the planned handover of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. Efforts were made to sign the treaty before President-elect Trump’s inauguration, and it was expected that the Mauritian cabinet would approve the proposal on 18 January. Although the UK plans to hand over the cluster of islands in the Indian Ocean to Mauritius, it will maintain a 99-year lease over the joint UK and U.S. military airbase on the largest island, Diego Garcia.

The treaty has drawn criticism from politicians in the UK, as well as from the incoming US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, who argued it poses a “serious threat” to US security. The deal was expected to be approved on the 18th of January but reports later suggested that Mauritian Prime Minister, Navin Ramgoolam, postponed the deal and instead, an attorney general travelled to London to continue the talks.

The Chagos Islands, formerly known as the British Indian Ocean Territory, were acquired by the UK from Mauritius in 1965. The UK later evicted the population of more than 1,000 people to clear the way for the Diego Garcia base. Mauritius claims the islands are their own. The territory’s administration by the UK has also been called “unlawful” by the United Nations’ highest court, which has issued an advisory opinion on the matter.

In response to criticisms over the deal, the spokesman for Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said it was “perfectly reasonable for the US administration to consider the detail” of any agreement. Sir Keir has defended his plans for the handover, claiming that it is essential to safeguard the UK and US joint military base. However, the Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch, argued that Sir Keir’s “rushing” of the deal would be “disastrous” for the UK and that taxpayers in the country would “pay for the humiliation.

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