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Mauritius denies it offered two islands in exchange of trade deal
On Thursday, the visiting Mauritius foreign affairs and trade minister Arvin Boolell made an unexpected offer to India: he said Mauritius is willing to lease a couple of sun-drenched islands to India as part of a trade and investment deal.
North and South Agalega Islands, located closer to India than Mauritius, have an area of just 70 km. The North Agalega island also has a rough but ready air strip capable of handling small plane landings.
However, the Mauritian High Commission today released a press statement denying such an offer was made.
"In the several interviews given by Minister A. Boolell to the written press, never was the issue of Agalega raised either on a stand-alone basis or as part of a trade-off for the DTA issue. The issue was also never discussed with the Indian authorities," said the release.
While this offer was first made in 2006, but was never followed up seriously since a huge political storm had broken out in Mauritius over it, changed circumstances seem to have compelled the Mauritian government to make a fresh proposal. Diplomatic sources say, Mauritius is struggling financially and if India were to scrap the 1983 vintage double taxation treaty it has with Mauritius, the island country might lose a substantial part of its earning.
Thursday's reported offer is, therefore, seen as a sweetener in order for India to not abolish that treaty. A leading national daily quoted the Mauritian Minister as saying: "It was up to India to use the islands to its advantage."
The Minister said the "blue economy" had great potential. India could use these islands for setting up hotels and tourist resorts, for trade, marine studies, or for building a strategic presence in the Indian Ocean, the minister is reported to have said.
It is the last aspect - strategic presence - that New Delhi may be interested in. Situated close to an important sea lane of communication in the southern Indian Ocean, these islands can be effectively used by the Indian Navy and Air Force if the government decides to accept the Mauritian offer.
If a base is developed here, it could prove to be a staging point for both the Indian Navy and Air Force which can launch surveillance and reconnaissance missions without having to traverse long distances from the southern tip of India.
Already Indian Naval and Air Force personnel work with the Mauritian Police (the island country does not have standing armed forces), helping them in various tasks. Indian Naval ships regularly call on Mauritian ports during their passage to and from Africa. Between 2009 and now, at least a dozen Indian ships have either visited and mounted surveillance missions or held PASSEX (Passage Exercises) with Mauritian Coast Guard ships.
The primary objective of these missions is to reinforce deterrence to ongoing pirate activities north of the EEZ of Mauritius. The Joint Patrol also helps to check illegal fishing within the maritime zones of Mauritius.
Last month INS Darshak, a third generation ocean-going survey vessel of the Indian Navy, fitted with state-of-the-art hydrographic and oceanographic equipment visited Mauritius.
The ship also has an integral helicopter which is extensively used for the survey operations and also for search and rescue missions. INS Darshak has been the forerunner in carrying out navigational surveys of various harbours in India and has also been carrying out surveys in the Indian Ocean Region. During its presence in Mauritian waters from April 22 - May 17, 2012 it undertook the following hydrographic surveys and tasks requested for by the Government of the Republic of Mauritius.
Bathymetric survey of the Southern coast of Mauritius from Le Morne to Le Chaland to meet the requirements of placement of fish-aggregating devices for the Ministry of Fisheries.
Survey of Le Morne as projected by the National Coast Guard, Ministry of Tourism and Leisure and the Mauritius Research Council.
Clearly, if India accepts the reported offer and gradually develops a military base, the reach of the Indian Navy will be phenomenally enhanced, giving India a strategic presence in the Indian Ocean at par with what the US developed at Diego Garcia over the years.
In the long run the arrangement may turn out to be a win-win situation for both countries.
However, the Mauritian High Commission has released a press statement denying such an offer was made.
"In the several interviews given by Minister A. Boolell to the written press, never was the issue of Agalega raised either on a stand-alone basis or as part of a trade-off for the DTA issue. The issue was also never discussed with the Indian authorities," said the release.
Mauritius denies it offered two islands in exchange of trade deal | NDTV.com
