<
https://theconversation.com/freedom-for-chagos-islands-uks-deal-with-mauritius-will-be-a-win-for-all-240590>
"Britain is close to resolving its territorial dispute with Mauritius over the
Chagos Archipelago, located in the central Indian Ocean.
For years, Mauritius has claimed the island group as part of its sovereign
territory. It says that Britain unlawfully detached the islands from Mauritius
in 1965, three years before Mauritius gained independence. The Mauritian
position is backed by international courts and the United Nations, creating
enormous pressure for Britain to decolonise.
London, however, has been reluctant to abandon the Chagos Archipelago. This is
because the largest island, Diego Garcia, is the site of a strategically
important US military base. Britain pledged to make Diego Garcia available to
its American ally and has been anxious to avoid a situation where it is
prevented from making good on these promises.
The US, for its part, has declined to become publicly involved in the dispute.
Its private position is merely that the base on Diego Garcia should not be
placed in jeopardy.
In a deal announced in a joint statement, London and Port Louis have agreed
that all but one of the Chagos Islands will be returned to Mauritian control as
soon as a treaty can be finalised. This comes after nearly two years of intense
negotiations. It seems as though settling the dispute was a top priority for
Britian’s new Labour government.
Though the deal isn’t done yet, it is expected to go through. Both Britain and
Mauritius, along with the White House, have endorsed the agreement, indicating
that the toughest negotiations are complete.
Diego Garcia will remain under British administration for at least 99 years –
this time with the blessing of Mauritius – enabling Britain to continue
furnishing the US with unfettered access to its military base on the island."
Note: this will result in the end of the "IO" (British Indian Ocean Territory)
ISO country code.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
