Pope Leo XIV says UK’s Chagos Islands deal ‘important victory’

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Pope Leo XIV has mentioned he's "delighted" the UK has agreed at hand the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.

Talking to a delegation of 15 refugees from Chagos, Pope Leo mentioned that the transfer represented a "important victory" of their lengthy battle to "restore a grave injustice".

Beneath the phrases of a treaty signed in Might, Mauritius will achieve sovereignty of the islands from the UK, however permit the US and UK to proceed working a navy base on one of many islands, Diego Garcia, for an preliminary interval of 99 years.

The pope mentioned he hoped Mauritian authorities would make sure the refugees are capable of return residence. UK opposition leaders - and a few Chagossians now resident within the UK - have criticised the deal.

Talking in French, Pope Leo mentioned: "The renewed prospect of your return to your native archipelago is an encouraging signal and a strong image on the worldwide stage."

He added that each one individuals "have to be revered by the highly effective of their identification and rights, particularly the appropriate to stay on their land; and nobody can power them into exile".

The UK bought the islands for £3m in 1968, however Mauritius has argued it was illegally pressured to present away the islands with a purpose to get independence from Britain.

The islands have been then cleared to make method for a UK-US armed forces base with giant teams of Chagossians transferring to Mauritius and the Seychelles, or taking over an invite to settle in England, primarily in Crawley, West Sussex.

In Might, the federal government mentioned it could pay Mauritius a mean of £101m a 12 months for 99 years below the phrases of the settlement.

The deal units a 24-mile buffer round Diego Garcia, the place nothing could be constructed with out UK consent.

Overseas navy and civilian forces can even be barred from different islands within the archipelago, with the UK retaining an influence to veto any entry to the islands.

The treaty will come into impact solely after it's accepted by each the UK and Mauritian parliaments.

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/f401/live/488c0200-8066-11f0-a34f-318be3fb0481.jpg.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/f401/live/488c0200-8066-11f0-a34f-318be3fb0481.jpg.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/f401/live/488c0200-8066-11f0-a34f-318be3fb0481.jpg.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/f401/live/488c0200-8066-11f0-a34f-318be3fb0481.jpg.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/f401/live/488c0200-8066-11f0-a34f-318be3fb0481.jpg.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/f401/live/488c0200-8066-11f0-a34f-318be3fb0481.jpg.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/f401/live/488c0200-8066-11f0-a34f-318be3fb0481.jpg.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/f401/live/488c0200-8066-11f0-a34f-318be3fb0481.jpg.webp" loading="lazy" alt="Reuters Photo shows Diego Garcia, the largest island in the Chagos archipelago, surrounded by water" class="sc-d1200759-0 dvfjxj"/> Reuters Diego Garcia, the biggest island within the archipelago, was separated from Mauritius together with the remainder of the Chagos Islands in 1965 and now homes a US navy base

When the deal was struck, the Conservatives described it as "an act of nationwide self-harm", which left the UK "extra uncovered to China" due to its ties with Mauritius.

The prime minister insisted that the deal was crucial to sustaining the UK's nationwide safety.

"If we didn't agree this deal the authorized state of affairs would imply that we might not have the ability to forestall China or some other nation establishing their very own bases on the outer islands or finishing up joint workout routines close to our base," Sir Keir Starmer mentioned.

"No accountable authorities may let that occur."

The settlement was welcomed by Mauritian Lawyer Common Gavin Glover who advised the BBC in Might: "Our nation is elated that this 60-year battle is lastly over."

Nonetheless two girls born in Diego Garcia who needed to have the ability to return there had raised a last-minute authorized problem to the deal in Might.