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As US considers attacking Iran from Diego Garcia, will UK need to inform Mauritius in advance?
As the United Kingdom has ceded the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, analysts are divided on whether the terms of the treaty would require the UK to inform Mauritius in advance about any military action from the Diego Garcia base, which is on one of these islands. read more
The photograph shows military aircraft stationed at the joint US-UK base at the Diego Garcia island in the Chagos Islands archipelago. (Photo: AFP)
As UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is discussing options about joining US military against in Iran, there are concerns that any UK operation may be compromised by the recent Chagos Islands deal.
Last month, the United Kingdom signed a deal with Mauritius to transfer the sovereignty of Chagos Islands. Under the terms of the deal, the UK has leased the Diego Garcia island, for 99 years. The island houses a military base that the UK shares with the United States.
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There are concerns among analysts that the UK may be required to inform Mauritius in advance about any military mission launched from the Diego Garcia base. If this would be the case, any mission involving ships or planes at the base would be compromised.
The Diego Garcia base, formally called the Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia, has housed submarines, ships, fighter planes, and bombers. B-2 bombers, which were stationed at the base in March, are one of the types of aircraft that the United States may use to strike Iran's underground nuclear sites.
Will UK need to inform Mauritius about any operation?
While analysts say that the terms of the deal are ambiguous, sources in the UK government have said that there is no scope of advance information.
The Chagos Islands deal has said that the UK would need to 'expeditiously inform Mauritius of any armed attack on a third state directly emanating from the base on Diego Garcia'.
The Daily Telegraph has reported officials as saying that any information to Mauritius would be given after the operation has concluded, not before launching it.
However, not everyone agrees with this. Some have stressed that the terms in the treaty's text released by Starmer's government are ambiguous.
Philippe Sands, an international lawyer who previously acted for Mauritius against the UK, has told the parliament that there were 'presumably different interpretations' of the treaty's text and there was a chance of Mauritius interpreting it as being notified before the attack.
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Irrespective of such concerns, Starmer's government would not notify Mauritius before any attack from Diego Garcia, according to i newspaper.
The report further said that Mauritius does not hold any veto about military activities conducted from Diego Garcia.
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