The U.K. said it would create the world's largest marine reserve around the Chagos Islands in the British Indian Ocean Territority, where a major U.S. military base is located, British media said on Friday.
British Foreign Secretary David Miliband was quoted by the BBC as saying establishing the reserve would "double the global coverage of the world's oceans under protection."
He described the creation of the marine park as a "major step forward for protecting the oceans, not just around BIOT [British Indian Ocean Territory] itself, but also throughout the world."
The Chagos archipelago hosts the world's biggest living coral structure, the Great Chagos Bank, being home to more than 220 coral species and more than 1,000 species of reef fish.
Miliband said "this measure is a further demonstration of how the UK takes its international environmental responsibilities seriously."
Authorities of neighboring Mauritius have opposed London's decision, claiming it has nothing to do with environmental concerns.
In 1960s, several thousands of native Chagossians were forcibly deported from the island of Diego Garcia as the U.K. secretly leased the Chagos archipelago and detached it from Mauritius to make way for U.S. ships and aircraft.
Islanders say the reserve, if created, would effectively ban them from returning.
In 2000, the U.K. Supreme Court ruled that the deportation of Diego Garcia resident was illegal. The decision was supported by then-foreign secretary Robin Cook. However, in 2004, the British government issued two decrees prohibiting islanders to return to their homeland. Though the decrees were ruled illegal by the Supreme Court in 2006, the expelled islanders have not still been repatriated.
The strategically important location of Diego Garcia, which hosts the largest U.S. base outside North America, makes the island a sweet spot for Britain. The U.S.'s lease on Diego Garcia expires in 2016, but it is likely to be renewed for a further 20 years.
MOSCOW, April 2 (RIA Novosti)
