"In its statement, the US Department of State said that "the US reiterates its desire" for guaranteed "continued use" of the military base on Diego Garcia. Diego Garcia is the largest island in the archipelago, and is used by the UK and US armed forces. Under the new plan, the UK will lease back Diego Garcia for a period of 99 years."
"The US government had previously signalled it would back the deal worth 3.4bn ($4.6bn) that was signed by the UK in May. At the time the Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US "welcomed" the deal, before Trump described the plan in a post on Truth Social last month as "an act of great stupidity". The comments came amid high tensions between the White House and European nations over the US President's desire to purchase Greenland from Denmark."
The US Department of State supports the United Kingdom's agreement with Mauritius to transfer the Chagos archipelago while securing arrangements for continued US use of the Diego Garcia base. Diego Garcia is the largest island and hosts UK and US armed forces; the UK will lease back Diego Garcia for 99 years. The US said continued use would advance national security and ensure security and stability across the Indian Ocean. The UK signed the deal worth £3.4bn ($4.6bn) in May. The US had previously signalled backing; Secretary Marco Rubio welcomed the deal, while former President Trump described it as "an act of great stupidity". Talks in Port Louis will focus on security cooperation and implementation of security arrangements.
Read at www.bbc.com
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