In a statement on April 11, the British Government emphasized: "We still believe that this agreement is the best way to protect the long-term future of the base, but we always affirm that it will only proceed if there is US support. We are continuing to exchange with the US and Mauritius.
This small island cluster located in the Indian Ocean is home to a military base used by both Britain and the United States. London has reached an agreement to return the archipelago to the former colony of Mauritius since last year.
According to the plan, Britain will continue to control the military base on Diego Garcia Island with a 99-year lease contract, with an extension option allowing the US to maintain operations here. However, the agreement needs official approval from Washington.
However, this agreement was reacted to by US President Donald Trump, calling it "an extremely stupid act".
Mr. Simon McDonald - former senior official at the British Foreign Office - commented: "When the US President publicly protests, the government is forced to reconsider, so this agreement will be deeply frozen in the near future.
Mauritius - a country about 20,000km southwest of Chagos - said it will continue efforts to gain control of the archipelago.
Mauritian Foreign Minister Dhananjay Ramful declared: "We will not ignore any diplomatic or legal path to complete the decolonization process in this region of the Indian Ocean.
The indigenous Chagos - about 2,000 people who were relocated in the 1960s-1970s to make way for the military base - were hesitant with the plan, fearing unfair treatment if Mauritius took over.
Mr. Toby Noskwith - spokesman for the indigenous Chagos group, welcomed the suspension of the agreement. He also said that this issue is mainly seen as a relationship between nations, while the forgotten ones are the Chagos community, especially the elderly.
During the second term of US President Donald Trump, the Chagos agreement was an important factor in the special relationship between Britain and the US. In addition, disagreements between Mr. Trump and NATO allies, from the Greenland issue to the lack of support in the Iranian conflict, have greatly impacted British-US relations.
London has been cautious when allowing Washington to use joint bases to attack Iran, due to concerns about the legitimacy of the conflict. However, Diego Garcia is 1 of 2 bases that the US is allowed to use for operations that the UK affirms are defensive in the conflict with Iran.
