Mauritius is holding out over a deal to take control of the Chagos Islands from Britain, with less than a month left for ministers to salvage the deal.
The Mauritian government, which took office last month, has made it clear that it is dissatisfied with the terms negotiated by the previous government. Over the weekend, the Deputy Prime Minister accused the British government of being “too picky about reparations”.
U.S. and British officials are now racing to salvage and ratify the deal before President Donald Trump, whose planned return has been heavily criticized by allies, takes office on Jan. 20.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Mauritius Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam by phone on Monday to finalize a deal.
Mr. Ramgoolam told a meeting of Mauritian MPs after his telephone conversation with Mr. Blinken: The proposal will be conveyed to him. ”
After decades of negotiations, Britain agreed in October to transfer sovereignty over Diego Garcia, its largest island, to the Mauritian government on the condition that Anglo-American military bases continue to operate there.
Mr Ramgoolam has been aiming to restart negotiations since taking office, and is reported to be asking the UK to increase Diego Garcia's 99-year lease.
Mauritius' Deputy Prime Minister Paul Belanger told a constituency meeting on Sunday that it comes down to money. “If we are true patriots, there are some things we cannot accept,” Belanger said.
“They are noisy about the compensation given to Mauritius, which has illegally used our Chagos and Diego Garcia for 60 years. We will continue to negotiate.”
British National Security Adviser Jonathan Powell has visited Port Louis and Washington, D.C., in recent weeks to try to get the deal signed before Trump's inauguration.
After Mauritius regained independence in the 1960s, Britain maintained control of the Chagos Islands. In doing so, it evicted thousands of Chagossians who subsequently filed a series of compensation claims in British courts.
Diego Garcia has been home to a joint US-British military base since the 1970s, and has played an important strategic role as a base for long-range bombers and ships, particularly during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
