Despite the setback on the deal with the British - Chagos: Mauritius remains hopeful of an agreement

Despite a halt in negotiations with London on the Chagos, the Mauritian government is maintaining its efforts and hopes to relaunch the dialogue during a decisive meeting scheduled for April 22.

In Port Louis, we do not want to give in to despair. Mauritius continues to hope for a favorable outcome in the Chagos issue, even if things have become greatly complicated in recent days.

The Mauritian government ensures that it is continuing its diplomatic and legal efforts, while a meeting scheduled for April 22 is considered a potentially decisive step.

Tuesday afternoon, on the sidelines of the Tamil New Year celebrations at the Mahatma Gandhi Institute, Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam was questioned by a Radio Plus journalist on developments in the Chagos issue. His response was brief: “Pa kas latet.” At the same time, I responded to Parlman. » No additional details have been given at this stage by the head of government.

However, according to available information, consultations are already underway at government level with lawyers involved in the matter, in order to examine the different possible avenues. The British government, for its part, requested a meeting with the Mauritian side. A team from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), now led by Robbie Bulloch, director of the Overseas Territories and Polar Directorate (OTPD), will hold a working session with the Mauritian delegation on April 22 in Mauritius.

This meeting is presented as a key step. It should allow the British to clarify their position on the future of the process initiated with Mauritius. Those surrounding the discussions are talking about a “last chance” to try to move forward with a now weakened draft agreement.

On Tuesday, Stephen Doughty, Minister of State for Europe, North America and Overseas Territories, told the House of Commons that a treaty to transfer sovereignty from Chagos to Mauritius has now become “impossible to agree at political level”. He also affirmed that the bill linked to the file will not be able to complete its parliamentary journey.

This situation results in particular from the withdrawal of American support for the project initially negotiated between London and Port Louis, in coordination with Washington. The project, which had reached a final stage in the British Parliament, provided for the transfer of sovereignty of Chagos to Mauritius, while guaranteeing the continuation of military operations on Diego Garcia via a 99-year lease between the United Kingdom and the United States.

According to the British authorities, this change in position by the United States calls into question an essential element of the agreement: the modification of a bilateral arrangement dating from 1966 between London and Washington. Without this adjustment, ratification of the treaty becomes impossible, de facto blocking the legislative process.

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