LONDON (AP) — A startled British executive on Tuesday defended its determination to hand sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, after U.S. President Donald Trump attacked the understanding, which his administration had previously supported.
Trump acknowledged that relinquishing the faraway Indian Ocean archipelago, dwelling to a strategically crucial American naval and bomber infamous, used to be an act of stupidity that presentations why he needs to rob over Greenland.
“Shockingly, our ‘fair appropriate’ NATO Ally, the United Kingdom, is currently planning to present away the Island of Diego Garcia, the positioning of a foremost U.S. Militia Sad, to Mauritius, and to label so FOR NO REASON WHATSOEVER,” he acknowledged in a put up on his social media platform Truth Social. “There is shrimp doubt that China and Russia accept as true with noticed this act of entire weak point.”
“The UK gifting away extraordinarily crucial land is an act of GREAT STUPIDITY, and is one more in a truly long line of Nationwide Security causes why Greenland has to be received,” Trump acknowledged.
AP AUDIO: Trump slams UK deal to give up Chagos Islands after he previously backed it
AP correspondent Charles de Ledesma reviews President Trump slams a UK deal to give up strategic islands after he had previously backed the muse.
The blast from Trump used to be a rebuff to efforts by Prime Minister Keir Starmer to tranquil tensions over Greenland and patch up a frayed trans-Atlantic relationship. Starmer on Monday called Trump’s statements about taking on Greenland “fully substandard,” but called for the rift to be “resolved through tranquil dialogue.”
The British executive acknowledged Tuesday that despite the president’s put up, it believes the U.S. silent helps the Chagos deal.
Cabinet Minister Pat McFadden acknowledged that a flurry of social media posts from Trump “criticizing a preference of world leaders” showed the president “is pissed off appropriate now” as European allies thrust lend a hand on his want for Greenland.
“I don’t genuinely factor in here’s about Chagos. I ponder it’s about Greenland,” McFadden acknowledged.
Some distance flung but strategic
The UK and Mauritius signed a deal in Could well possibly to present Mauritius sovereignty over the Chagos Islands after two centuries under British withhold watch over, though the U.K. pays Mauritius not lower than 120 million pounds ($160 million) a one year to rent lend a hand the island of Diego Garcia, the keep the U.S. infamous is found, for not lower than ninety 9 years.
The U.S. executive welcomed the agreement on the time, asserting it “secures the long-timeframe, stable, and effective operation of the joint U.S.-U.K. militia facility at Diego Garcia.”
In fresh years, the United International locations and its high courtroom accept as true with rapid Britain to return the islands to Mauritius, and the British executive says it’s acting to present protection to the protection of the infamous from international upright relate.
A executive spokesperson acknowledged that “the U.K. gained’t ever compromise on our nationwide safety,” and “this deal secures the operations of the joint U.S.-U.K. infamous on Diego Garcia for generations, with strong provisions for preserving its fresh capabilities intact and our adversaries out.”
But the deal has met strong opposition from British opposition parties, which snarl that giving up the islands locations them in anxiety of interference by China and Russia.
Islanders who had been displaced from the islands to fetch manner for the U.S. infamous snarl they weren’t consulted and fear the deal will fetch it more difficult for them to wander dwelling.
Stable opposition
Legislation to approve the agreement has been handed by the Rental of Commons, but faced strong opposition in Parliament’s greater chamber, the Rental of Lords, which approved it, while also passing a “motion of remorse” lamenting the legislation. It’s due lend a hand within the Commons on Tuesday for additional debate.
Conservative Birthday party chief Kemi Badenoch criticized Starmer’s Labour Birthday party executive over the agreement.
Badenoch acknowledged in an X put up that Trump is appropriate and that Starmer’s “understanding to present away the Chagos Islands is a horrible policy that weakens UK safety and fingers away our sovereign territory. And to high it off, makes us and our NATO allies weaker within the face of our enemies.”
Reform UK chief Nigel Farage, an ally of the president acknowledged: “Thank goodness Trump has vetoed the resign of the Chagos islands.”
The U.S. has described the Diego Garcia infamous, which is dwelling to about 2,500 largely American personnel, as “an all but necessary platform” for safety operations within the Middle East, South Asia and East Africa.
The Chagos Islands accept as true with been under British withhold watch over since 1814, when they had been ceded by France. Britain wreck up the islands a long way flung from Mauritius, a former British colony, in 1965, and evicted as many as 2,000 other folks from the islands so the U.S. militia can also label the Diego Garcia infamous.
An estimated 10,000 displaced Chagossians and their descendants now are living primarily in Britain, Mauritius and the Seychelles. Some accept as true with fought unsuccessfully in U.K. courts for a lot of years for the proper to wander dwelling.
The U.K.-Mauritius deal requires a resettlement fund to be created for displaced islanders to aid them wander lend a hand to the islands — except for Diego Garcia.