(Bloomberg) -- Mauritius’s new prime minister ordered an independent review of a deal with Britain involving a strategically important US-UK military base in the Indian Ocean, placing the agreement under fresh scrutiny.
Under a pact signed last month, the UK ceded sovereignty of the Chagos archipelago to Mauritius, while retaining control of Diego Garcia — the island where the base is situated. The deal was signed by former Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth and his UK counterpart, Keir Starmer, on Oct. 3 — a month before elections in Mauritius in which Navinchandra Ramgoolam became premier.
“I have asked for an independent review of the confidential draft agreement agreed so far,” Ramgoolam said. “I will keep the house informed of the next steps in the negotiations.”
The UK has dismissed concerns the deal could collapse due to the desire of the new government in Mauritius to scrutinize the details. But it’s unclear whether president-elect Donald Trump will maintain Joe Biden’s support for the pact.
Marco Rubio, Trump’s pick for secretary of state, has warned it poses “a serious threat” to US national security, while the UK isn’t expected to ratify the deal until after Trump’s inauguration in January, giving his administration the opportunity to re-examine the agreement if it wants.
Starmer described it as a “good deal” on Thursday. His spokesman told reporters that it’s “entirely understandable for a new administration to engage on the detail of the agreement” and while there’s no discussion about renegotiating the deal, they are working with Mauritius to finalize the detail of the legal treaty.
Since securing victory on Nov. 12, Ramgoolam has held talks with local officials, external legal advisers and new UK National Security Adviser Jonathan Powell about the status of the negotiations with the UK, he told lawmakers in the capital, Port Louis, on Friday. Details of talks that have taken place over the past two years are “unknown” to the new government, he said.
The meetings between Powell and the new administration have been “productive” and letters exchanged between Starmer and Ramgoolam have indicated he’s open to progressing the agreement, Starmer’s spokesman said on Thursday. Powell is planning to also travel to the US to discuss the agreement.
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