MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

“Argentina's military threat raises fears over Falklands”

Under the title “Argentina's military threat raises fears over Falklands”, the London Daily Telegraph refers to Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner speech on Monday night to the Armed Forces.

A traditional once a year gathering, the event is usually on the eve of July 9th, one of the two main independence celebrations of the Argentine calendar, and brings together the president, vice president and 200 top officers of all armed services. It's also an occasion for important announcements which naturally have political repercussions. On this particular occasion, the Argentine press underlined the fact that Mrs. Kirchner promised the Armed Forces a 19.5% hike, funds for re-equipment and invited them to look ahead, not forgetting the past, which is a significant political pronouncement given the Kirchners' strong track record on blaming Argentine military for many of the country's blunders and recent history atrocities. But even more surprising was her statement that not only the Armed Forces were to blame for the military coups that have repeatedly punished Argentine history, the last of which during the notorious 1976/83 when thousands disappeared. "There were civilian groups which promoted those interruptions to the democratic process", said Mrs. Kirchner and when things turned sour "only the Armed Forces remained as if they were the only to blame". She went on to say that "this does not exonerate responsibilities, but puts things in fair historic terms. I hope this is the first and last time I have to talk about the issue", she added. "This is an issue for Colonel Justice and General Time", she said in reference to the ongoing trials of military officers accused of alleged violations of human rights. Mrs. Kirchner went then to describe what she believed was a Defence policy for Argentina and the role the military had to play: defense of natural resources, sovereignty, the environment and help build a strong economy as has been pioneered in the past by some outstanding officers. She emphasized defense of natural resources, and "our Antarctic and our South Atlantic islands", but also recalled that this is an issue that has been repeatedly discussed with Brazilian president Lula da Silva who has been forced to emphasize in international forums that the Amazon and South America's aquifers and drinking water reservoirs, among other resources are Brazilian and "not a legacy for mankind" as preached from the industrialized countries. "These countries never preach that medical, pharmaceutical or scientific patents belong to mankind, only natural resources", underlined the Argentine president. Follows the full Telegraph article by Graeme Baker: Argentina raised the prospect of posting military forces in the Antarctic region, with the announcement of plans to use troops to defend its interests. President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner told Defence chiefs that Argentina must be prepared to assert its sovereignty and protect its natural resources, as nations compete to claim areas of the region believed to be rich in oil. The plans threaten to inflame tensions between Britain and Argentina over the Falkland Islands, which the South American nation still considers to be its sovereign territory despite losing a war in 1982. Argentine forces were driven from the islands by a British naval task force after three months of fighting and the loss of hundreds of lives. The victory proved decisive in the re-election in 1983 of Margaret Thatcher. "This world is no longer a world divided by ideology" Mrs. Kirchner said. "It is more complex, and it is necessary to defend our natural resources, our Antarctica, our water." The Argentine president compared the plan to Brazil using its soldiers to protect natural resources in the Amazon rainforest. The proposals come as Britain considers whether to formally claim exploration rights to extended areas of the sea bed around the Falklands, South Georgia and the British Antarctic Territory. Moves are also being made by Argentina, Australia, China, France, New Zealand and Norway to boost their presence and lay claim to waters that could yield oil. Antarctica, protected under a 1959 treaty allowing only scientific research, is the only continent that remains free of military forces. The Argentine president's comments are the first to suggest the use of troops to protect a country's interests. The proposals come as Mrs. Kirchner faces growing opposition at home after winning power last year in a landslide victory to succeed her husband, Néstor Kirchner, as president. Her ties to the Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez have strained relations with the United States and a sluggish economy has seen widespread protests against her policies. Britain has plans to claim more than 350,000 square miles of sea bed under a United Nations convention that allows rights to areas that are a continuation of their territory's continental shelf. However, a Foreign Office spokesman Monday night stressed that Britain had not made a formal submission to the UN "although we reserve the right to do so". The deadline is May next year. The situation in part mirrors a rush for territorial rights at the North Pole, also believed to contain vast energy reserves. Russia sparked the race last August by symbolically placing a flag on the sea bed, claiming huge tracts of the region for itself. In turn, Canada announced it would build military training bases in the region and step up patrols of shipping lanes. Denmark and the United States have followed suit since. The Russian army said last month that it was prepared to send winter warfare forces to the region to protect its interests.