Leftist party Rezistans ek Alternativ (ReA) has sounded the alarm on the ongoing negotiations over the sovereignty of Diego Garcia and the Chagos Archipelago.
The party has reiterated its demand for the Mauritian state to become a non-aligned country and for the Indian Ocean zone to be declared a zone of peace.
“There have been the incursion of the principle of communal division into our Constitution and the exclusion of part of our territory under the United Nations charters. Hence, the current negotiation between the Mauritian and British governments to reach an ‘agreement’ in early 2023 is inconsistent,” he claimed.
ReA said it has information that the deal will be for the US military base on Diego Garcia to remain under British occupation.
“These talks are taking place at a time when US nuclear submarines have been spotted in the Indian Ocean basin. If a Prime Minister can afford to sign an agreement for a piece of territory enshrined in our Constitution with another state, it means you are abdicating your right to your sovereignty!”
The British and Mauritian governments want to reach an agreement on the disputed Chagos Archipelago as early as next year, PM Pravind Jugnauth announced earlier.
Mauritius claims the remote archipelago in the Indian Ocean in full but it is administered by Britain, which has a joint military base there with the United States.
Britain’s Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said that the countries “have decided to begin negotiations on the exercise of sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory / Chagos Archipelago”.
He said they had agreed to hold “constructive negotiations” and hope to reach an agreement early next year.
Source: Le Mauricien
