MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Falklands/Malvinas sovereignty is the ultimate goal.

Argentine Ambassador Federico Mirre takes up his new position as Argentine Ambassador in London next week. Mirre is a lawyer and a career diplomat. Previous foreign posts include The Vatican, Germany, France, Ivory Coast and Norway the last two where he served as Ambassador. He was born in Argentina in 1939, is married and has two daughters. He is currently director of the Western Europe Desk at the Argentine Foreign Affairs Ministry in Buenos Aires.

He is already familiar with the United Kingdom and was based in London for six years between 1970 and 1976 as a junior diplomat -consequently his English is flawless. He has very fond memories of the time spent in London- where one of his daughters was born - and experiences he had meeting the political figures of the time. During his time in London he carried out historical and geographical research on the Beagle Channel dispute, in which three Islands were claimed by both Argentina and Chile. Later on he was involved in the arbitration with Chile of "Crisis management under a military government". In 1981 he was appointed Consul in Frankfurt, Germany, and was called back to Argentina during the South Atlantic Islands conflict and designated as the Argentine link with the International Red Cross based in Comodoro Rivadavia and Puerto Deseado.

In 1984 Ambassador Mirre participated in the first contact between the British Foreign Office and Argentine Foreign Affairs Ministry following the 1982 conflict. He visited the Islands in 1962 as a journalist and has since maintained an interest in the Islands. On his desk in his office at the Argentine Foreign Ministry is a copy of Tony Chater's book The Falklands, which he says he recently received and is reading.

Do you view the 1982 invasion as right or wrong?

"I believe my answer will be very indiscreet if I give it to you now. What I can say now is we work for peaceful solutions in this ministry and my career is all dedicated to finding ways to avoid wars, its unnatural for us to be??.although in some cases diplomats are there to sustain the validity of the use of force whether it is with or without the United Nations or on some occasions your country needs to go to war and diplomacy has to back that decision. What I cannot tell you today is whether my country's decision to go to war was right or wrong

Up until now the Argentine Government's policy regarding the Falkland Islands has not been completely clear, with local press reports implying anomalies in the policy. What is the Argentine government's policy concerning the Malvinas and the sovereignty issue?

"Well, I have to receive my instructions but basically it is a continuation of our efforts to reach a point where we can have bilateral discussions on the issue of sovereignty. It is a key element in Argentina's foreign policy with the United Kingdom. Additionally it is to improve the quality of our relationship with the Islands and with the Islanders and I would say to find ways of improving also the views we have either in common or separately on the national resources specifically oil and fisheries. So there is scope to go deeper than what it is?.

But is the sovereignty issue not the ultimate goal of the Argentine Government?

"Exactly, that is our goal.

How will you deal with this matter?

"I have to check with my Minister and of course with the President.

President Kirchner has hinted there is to be no contact with Islanders' Councillors and participation in negotiations but you have said you are in favour of communications?

"It doesn't mean that I am in favour of facilitating or admitting the participation of the Islanders in any negotiation concerning the main issue.

Then are you not?

"That is not the case clearly it is not my personal view. It is the view of the Argentine government and the Foreign Ministry. What it is clear is the Islanders are there. We are fully aware of their ways of handling their communities, their way of living, and their wishes, and that is of paramount interest for Argentina undoubtedly but it doesn't go so far as to say they can negotiate with the Argentine government, not in the least. There is and has been a deposition of the Argentine government that we deal on this matter with the British government.

Under President Menem and Dr Di Tella, the latter met with Islanders and Councillors. He did allow them to participate in negotiations?

"No, never in negotiations. They were part of the British delegation? the dialogue was between the Foreign Office and the Foreign Ministry.

Do you not think in the future if the Foreign Office and the Foreign Ministry sit down to discuss anything regarding the Islands they will participate?

"That is not foreseen in the future. We will see in the future what will happen.

Do you not agree that Argentina has democracy and self- determination now partly because of loosing the conflict over the Islands. Should the Islanders not be allowed to enjoy democracy and self-determination as well, in accordance with international law and the United Nations Charter?

"Well the question has been solved a long time ago. The problem of self- determination is not the case in the case of Malvinas. The basic issue is the integrity of the Argentine territory and in that sense that is the first principle that has to be discussed, not self- determination. It is not connected to democracy. Democracy can be enjoyed by the Islanders in the way they live and the way they are considered by the occupant government, which is the UK. We never refuse any Islanders coming to the mainland. It is a perfect right. In fact when they did come in the period before the war they enjoyed as many rights as their fellow citizens in the mainland, if not more, because they were allowed special scholarships, special facilities. I think the mixing of democracy arguments in the issue confuses a little bit and I don't think it's well intended. In the end it's a twist argument to put it somehow.

So maybe we could say on one side there is diplomacy and on the other side the people of Argentina and the people of the Islands should have cultural exchanges and so on?

"If that is the case it would be most welcome. That would be marvellous. The way our Chilean friends are treated in the Islands, as far as I know, is very nicely and warmly and they have almost all the same rights or almost all the same right as non-Chileans. So I don't see why they couldn't enjoy the same if not more than before the1982 situation.

Would you like to add anything?

Very excited, I think there is an enormous amount of ground to be covered for increasing the intensity and the quality of the bilateral relationship ? this doesn't mean my predecessors didn't do a good job, they did a marvellous job. The thing is that time passes and as time passes since the relationship is everyday better than yesterday e.g. you can see this with the bilateral political talks a year ago that was a first; we have had several members of the British government coming to Buenos Aires; the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces and every day we witness more and more initiatives especially in the cultural and we hope in the commercial and investment scenarios as well. I am very eager to arrive there and to do all I can to enlarge and enrich the relationship

How do you feel about taking up the post?

"I would very much like to improve the connection between the Argentine and British society. I think that we had a marvellous relationship in the past and witness to that are business and families intertwined and the culture and I think that the main task waiting for me ahead is at least to begin a new shape of a relationship to try and recreate the conditions of the 1870s and 1880s. Many British citizens came here because it was a friendly and rich land. If I can light the starting flame it will be more than enough for me and I think it's possible."

MercoPress - Buenos Aires.

Categories: Falkland Islands.

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