The dispute continued at the United Nations and in international courts for many years and this agreement was reached following two years of negotiations. Andrew harding has the details. A scattering of tiny islands deep in the Indian Ocean. British, for now, but after todays agreement, not for much longer. The Chagos Islands are all uninhabited, save for one, an important one, diego garcia. It is home to a big and secretive american military base. Today, britain agreed to hand the whole archipelago over to mauritius, but crucially, The Americans will remain in place. This is a very, very important agreement between our countries. Crucially protects the national security interests of the united kingdom and our allies and has been reached in full agreement with the united states retaining the crucial base on diego garcia. Also closes down a potential route for migrants. But some have warned that china could exploit the deal to extend its influence. It is over half a century since the in