Mauritius Could Demand Prior Warning of Military Action from Chagos Islands – Guido Fawkes

Philippe Sands: Mauritius Could Demand Prior Warning of Military Action from Chagos Islands

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The Chagos deal is already rearing its head by weakening the UK’s ability to approve military action by US allies. Article 4 of the Chagos deal forces an international law obligation onto the Diego Garcia base:

“Each Party agrees to ensure that in the implementation and application of this Agreement, including activities in relation to the Base, there shall be compliance with international law.”

This gives the Mauritians – chums with Iran – an interest in activity on the base from a legal standpoint. And adds a means for judicial review against activity on the base from either Mauritius or the UK…

Downing Street has so far very widely briefed that Richard Hermer is a blocker on American action on Iran coming from the base on Diego Garcia. When a Hermer briefing hits the BBC news bulletin…

Co-conspirators will recall that according to the deal “the United Kingdom agrees to expeditiously inform Mauritius of any armed attack on a third State directly emanating from the Base on Diego Garcia.” Labour’s stated interpretation of this is that “any notification to Mauritius will take place after the event and will not require the UK to divulge sensitive information.” One of the people most intimately involved with the deal disagrees…

Mauritius’ chief legal adviser on the deal Philippe Sands raised the prospect at a recent parliamentary committee meeting that the Mauritians could in future insist that they are given prior notice of an attack. On the above provision Sands said: “It is a form of words that leaves open presumably different interpretations.” Sands is very careful with his words and here opens up the possibility of an attempt by Mauritius to gain sensitive pre-event information…

No10 is doing itself no favours today by refusing to “speculate” on “hypothetical situations” when asked if the UK would block US action from the Chagos Islands. The deal signed by Starmer opens up the possibility of legal interjections and even greater control by Mauritius over activity on the base. At least those B-2s have access to the electromagnetic spectrum though…