British Prime Minister Andy Burnham pledged to work with Mauritius and the United States to resolve the dispute over the status of the British-US military base on Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, stressing the need to ensure its continued operation and protect British national security.
Burnham made the remarks during a telephone call on Monday with Mauritius Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam. A statement from the British authorities said he remained committed to working with Mauritius and the United States to find a way forward on the issue, on which the parties have yet to reach a final agreement.
Burnham announces continued negotiations over base
Speaking to reporters while travelling to New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly meeting, Burnham said he was determined to find a solution to the base’s disputed status. He added: “We remain determined to secure the base’s continued operation in the long term, which is hugely important to our security and that of our allies.”
Britain agreed last year to a deal transferring sovereignty over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, after more than two centuries of British control. The agreement provides for London to retain a 99-year lease on Diego Garcia, the largest island in the archipelago and home to the strategic military base. However, the legislation needed to implement the agreement stalled because of US opposition.
US President Donald Trump described the agreement earlier this year as a “disaster”. Although Britain signed the treaty with Mauritius, the bill required to implement the transfer of sovereignty did not complete its passage through the British House of Commons.
The agreement’s terms and Diego Garcia’s military role
Under the agreement negotiated by the previous British government, Britain will continue to control and operate the Diego Garcia base militarily for nearly a century. The base hosts US bombers, nuclear submarines and guided-missile destroyers. It also has long runways capable of accommodating heavy strategic bombers, including B-52 aircraft, as well as naval facilities supporting the deployment of ships and submarines.
Diego Garcia returned to the headlines as the confrontation between the United States and Iran intensified, after Tehran announced that it had launched two missiles towards the US military base on the island.
As Washington appears inclined to expand its use of the base in military operations, the British government faces mounting political and legal pressure related to the legitimacy of control over the island, as well as concerns about becoming directly involved in regional conflicts.
