UK PM Burnham seeks resolution to dispute over Diego Garcia base
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said on Monday he was determined to find a resolution to the disputed status of a U.S.-British military base on the Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia, as the U.S. President Donald Trump described the deal as a "big mistake". Britain last year agreed a deal to cede sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius while retaining a 99-year lease over Diego Garcia and its military base, but legislation to implement the agreement was paused due to U.S. opposition.
-British military base on the Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia. Britain last year agreed a deal to cede sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius after more than two centuries of control, while retaining a 99-year lease over its biggest island, Diego Garcia, and its strategic military base. S. President Donald Trump describing the deal earlier this year as a "big mistake".
Speaking to reporters on the way to New York for a meeting of the United Nations General Assembly, Burnham said he would work with Mauritius and the United States to find a solution, acknowledging that no agreement had yet been reached. "We remain determined to secure the long-term operation of the base, which is crucial to our security and that of our allies," he said. N. General Assembly, according to a statement from Downing Street.
"The assurance I gave was I will work towards a resolution," Burnham said. "At the moment we don't have that, but I gave an assurance that I would commit to working towards one". While Britain has already signed the treaty with Mauritius, the bill needed to enact the handover has yet to complete its passage through the British parliament. 4 billion pounds over the lifetime of the deal.
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