MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Kirchner demands British “apologies”

Argentine president Nestor Kirchner demanded “apologies” from the United Kingdom following the revelation that British vessels carried nuclear weapons during the South Atlantic war of 1982.

Mr. Kirchner speaking in the province of La Pampa during an official ceremony Saturday evening described as "deplorable" the British acknowledgement and said the Argentine government is making the official presentations through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. However he emphasized that he expected the incident "would not harm bilateral relations". Argentina feels "it needs members of another country's government to act with stature and accordingly request an apology".

The Argentine president insisted that "Argentina will stand firmly" in its demand to the British authorities requesting "precise and complete information" on the matter.

Last Friday the Argentine Foreign Affairs Ministry demanded "precise and complete information", and anticipated it would be taking the matter to "international organizations", possibly United Nations.

In an official release delivered to Catherine Rogle, second to British Ambassador Sir Robert Christopher in the Buenos Aires embassy, the Argentine government demanded "effective assurances that there are no nuclear weapons in the South Atlantic, or in sunken vessels, or in the sea bed or in any other form or circumstance".

In a statement published Friday by the Foreign Affairs Ministry, the Argentine government said the incident is "extremely serious" and renewed its claim for sovereignty over the Islands and urged Britain to "resume negotiations" on the sovereignty dispute.

Argentine Defence Minister José Pampuro said that Argentina's concern includes the possibility that there may be some kind of contamination in the Southern Atlantic area "because there are two or three ships aground (sic) on the sea bottom." "There were suspicions about this since the end of the conflict and successive governments have been trying to clarify this". He added that it is necessary to determine if there are any traces of nuclear material in South Atlantic waters and if so, "adequate prevention measures should be taken."

The British Embassy in a short statement said that none of the vessels equipped with nuclear weapons (depth charges) entered territorial waters of Argentina or the Falklands during the 1982 war. "In no moment during the conflict was the use of nuclear arms considered".

During the Cold War Royal Navy vessels routinely carried nuclear depth charges to be used against submarines. "However the United Kingdom at all moments respected international commitments". Because of the design of these weapons not even a direct impact would have caused a nuclear explosion. Strict safety precautions ensured no radioactive emissions, and following the conflict all nuclear weapons were checked in number and conditions in the UK.

Not one nuclear weapon was missing and the sunken RN vessels were not equipped with nuclear weapons.

In spite of the situation arising from the British government acknowledgement, the Argentine Navy describes relations with the Untied Kingdom as "very good".

Apparently Admiral Sir Alan West, First Lord of the Admiralty recently visited Argentina for a second time, and on this occasion met Captain Carlos Lecourt, the naval pilot that in 1982 bombed and sunk HMS Ardent, the frigate at that time under the command of Captain Alan West.