The United Kingdom decided this Saturday to pause its agreement to return the Chagos archipelago to Mauritius, which houses the Diego Garcia base used jointly with the United States, due to a lack of support from President Donald Trump. London agreed in May of last year to hand over this Indian Ocean archipelago to Mauritius, following a recommendation to that effect issued in 2019 by the International Court of Justice (ICJ). According to the Argentine News Agency, under the agreement, the British would nevertheless maintain, for 99 years, extendable, and in exchange for rent, the military base of Diego García, of great strategic value, a spokesman for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer declared. The same source added that «Diego García is a fundamental military asset for both the United Kingdom and the United States. Initially, Trump expressed his support, but in recent months he has described the agreement as 'stupidity,' and the issue has become a point of friction between the two powers. The position of Diego García has taken on special prominence with the war in the Middle East, as it is one of the two bases that the United Kingdom allowed Washington to use in its offensive against Iran. Guaranteeing its long-term operational security is and will remain our priority». Starmer has argued in the past that international law called into question British sovereignty over Chagos, and that only an agreement with Mauritius would ensure that the Diego García base could continue to operate with legal security. London maintained control of this archipelago after the independence of the island of Mauritius in the 1960s. Previously, that same base was fundamental in the two wars conducted by the USA. We continue to believe that this agreement is the best way to protect the long-term future of the base, but we have always said that we would only proceed with the agreement if it had the support of the USA. At the same time, it expelled thousands of natives, who since then have resorted to British justice in search of compensation. In 2019, the ICJ recommended that the United Kingdom hand over the Chagos islands to Mauritius. Islamabad becomes the epicenter of a historic negotiation between Iran and the USA. #AgencyNA in Iraq and in the 2001 bombings of Afghanistan. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer conditions the sovereignty of the archipelago on shared military security with the United States. Photo: Agency NA/Social networks.
