Washington: A US senator has introduced legislation to block any transfer of sovereignty over the Chagos Islands — including the strategic Diego Garcia military base — unless the US Senate formally approves changes to the long-standing defence treaty between Washington and London.
Sen. John Kennedy, a Republican from Louisiana and a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, introduced the Diego Garcia Treaty Oversight Act, which would require the advice and consent of the Senate for any modification to the 1966 agreement between the United States and the United Kingdom concerning the British Indian Ocean Territory.
The move comes amid concerns in Washington over a proposal by the United Kingdom to cede sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. The archipelago includes Diego Garcia, home to a key joint US-UK naval support facility.
“When two countries shake hands on a treaty, one of them can’t start changing the terms without the other country agreeing to it. That’s just common sense,” Kennedy said.
“That’s why I take issue with the United Kingdom trying to give our joint military base on Diego Garcia to a pal of Xi Jinping’s—all without getting the US Senate’s consent. My bill would make sure that our friends in the UK don’t modify our treaty and hand this gift to China without giving the Senate a say,” he added.
Under the legislation, any modification to the 1966 agreement would require Senate approval before it could take effect. The bill also prohibits federal agencies from using funds to alter the treaty unless the Senate has provided its consent.
In addition, the measure would require the President to submit a report to Congress before entering negotiations on any treaty modification. The report must detail the national security rationale for the proposed change, assess implications for US operational control of Diego Garcia, and evaluate risks posed by third-party sovereignty claims or foreign military presence.
Kennedy has repeatedly criticised the proposed transfer of the Chagos Islands.
The Louisiana senator has also engaged critics of the proposal in Britain and led a letter to the Trump administration encouraging Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to oppose the arrangement.
Diego Garcia, the largest island in the Chagos archipelago, hosts a major joint US-UK military installation and serves as an important logistical and operational hub for American forces in the Indian Ocean region.
The base has long played a key role in US military operations across the Middle East, Africa and the Indo-Pacific. Its location allows the United States to support long-range naval and air operations and maintain strategic presence across a vast stretch of the Indian Ocean.
The dispute over the Chagos Islands has been a long-running issue in international diplomacy. Mauritius has long claimed sovereignty over the archipelago, which Britain separated from the territory before Mauritius gained independence in 1968.
(IANS)
