Italian film attempts balanced approach to Falklands/Malvinas dispute
The Falklands/Malvinas are again the motive of a film this time by an Italian director and in the form of a documentary which tries to give a bigger picture of the issue, including Patagonia’s emptiness and the fact Falkland families have been living in the Islands for over 150 years.
The film with the simple name of “Las Islas” (The Islands) was presented by Antonio Cervi at the current Mar del Plata International Cinema Festival.
The festival is celebrating its 24th edition and “Las Islas” has been presented under the chapter of Argentine pictures.
“When it seemed that everything that could be said about Malvinas had been said, I believe there’s still much to tell, particularly in Argentina, where the only reference is linked to the conflict”, pointed out Cervi on the presentation of the film on the first day of exhibition.
Cervi underlined that to judge a conflict you must be aware and understand its genesis.
“I though I needed to recapitulate the history of the Islands, background, the lives of the Islanders to understand as an Italian, and at the same time help others to understand the genesis of the Falklands/Malvinas”, saic Cervi.
“One of the things which most surprised me is that Britain, on different occasions, tried to return the Islands to Argentina, which at the time was not taken seriously, and maybe if it had been so, the Islands today could have been Argentine”, said Cervi.
“One of the main issues to consider is to honestly ask how many Argentine would be willing to live in Malvinas if we take into account Patagonia, for example, and its slim demographics, and a big reality which can’t be ignored: there are families that have been living over 150 years in the Islands and this must be considered and respected”, conclude Cervi.
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But Patagonia emptiness is not a topic to discuss. The islands were linked to Buenos Aires since the begining.
That people were living for more than 150 years also does not justify the occupation done BY FORCE by english army back in the 18 hundreds!
Of course the willing of those people living there to remain british must be heard, but also the soverign rights of the a territory which is located within argentine territorial sea as well taken away from argentina by force, should also be taken into consideration! i would suggest an open discussion and try to close both population: argentina and fakland inhabitants and discuss and solve the problem together!
rgds,
emilio
Emilio you seem to forget the force Argentina actioned in 1982? The Falkland Islands would only discuss anything with Argentina when its ends it policy to damage the Falkland Islands in international forums and economimcally. Argentina need to stop acting childish, when our nationality is in question, we will decide when we want to discuss anything, not the aggressors.
I thought as much jorge, you guys ARE brainwashed, you are told what to think and cannot question anything for yourselves... I'm glad I don't live in “democratic and free” Argentina!
Interesting, apparently that freedom doesn't exist in Argentina.
Did I prove you wrong yet again, its happened many times before and each time you resort to the most childish of insults. For information I lived for about 3 months in Rawson, Chubut Province, Argentina.
And as Mr Roberts points out, every time you lose your rag, the mask slips and the racist bile pours out.
Actually the UK is ready to talk and always has been, this has been stated openly and publicly many, many times. UN GA resolution 2065/65 calls on the UK and Argentina to find a solution to their dispute. No mention of Argentine rights to sovereignty.
Argentina on the other hand is only prepared to talk about this dispute if a transfer of sovereignty is the outcome, they have made that clear over and over again, so Argentina places the UK in an impossible position.
The UK has no right to give away sovereignty to Argentina, several UN GA and SC resolutions give that right to the Falkland Islanders. It is for the Falkland Islanders to decide.
It is Argentina who is “not hearing”!
I'm just giving you the facts. It's not an opinion, so not like I agree or disagree.
If the Argentine government refuses to accept that the Falkland Islanders have make the decision about sovereignty there is not much the UK can do about it... The Argentine government are responsible for the stalemate, that's a fact.
So you blame on us for the stalemate, we blame the UK. A neverending story.
Javier, I'm not sure if you realise, but the UK is obliged by UN resolutions to do exactly this: give independence to the peoples of all UK non self governing territories. This includes the Falkland Islands. The UK is only undertaking its international obligations.
As a UN signatory Argentina should really recognise and accept this process! Believe me, the stalemate is caused by Argentina and no-one else...
What I can see from you is that you think you and only you are right, not very different from many of my nationals. Please don´t even dream that one day you will wake up and we will drop our claim, the same way I don´t dream the Islanders will change their minds towards Argentina.
As I can see you say we should accept UN resolutions, here we say is the UK that should accept UN resolution. It´s like a dog trying to chase his tail.
We have to co exist in peace no doubt about this. Little by little we should find little coincidences. Roberts I don´t want to sound offensive, please don´t misunderstand me.
Please don't misunderstand me, I never said I was right (and by implication that you were wrong). In fact the only opinion I gave is that Argentina is the sole cause of the stalemate.
I simply put out a few facts. These inconvenient facts for the Argentine government, but they are facts nonetheless.
If you would like to read more about the Islander and British point of view you could start with these papers: In English and also translated into Spanish.
www.falklandshistory.org/gettingitright.pdf
www.falklandshistory.org/spanish4.pdf
Now I have to watch the film, I live in Mar del Plata, I ll find out about it.
I liked Roberts this exchange of word I hope the other readers didn´t get bored! Nice talking to you.
We'll never drop our claim. Get that out of your head. You had better get used to it. Hard political and economical times will come to your lives. Britain will do nothing. Time will see you knocking argentine doors.
Even Brits get their passports stamped.
let me just give an idea, a form of independence, as you mention, will be for me a 200 years shared soverenety,a little bit like the “50 years Hong Kong has” ( I know is not the same case ). This will ease the tension and open channels of comunication between the Islands and the continent.
Just how would a period of shared sovereignty contribute to Islanders freedom of choice under the UN Charter and Human Rights ideals?
To impose something without the agreement of the inhabitants of the Falkland Islands would be both oppressive and retrograde.
What would open the channels of communication for real would be for an agreed situation of normal inter-country relationships with the question of sovereignty completely set aside. (for 200 years if you like). The Madrid Agreements were a wonderful starting point to create normal relationships now all but rejected by KK.
Shared sovereignty would imply particular and specific Argentine authority over the Islands which would be a non starter for the inhabitants of the Falklands whose interests must be borne in mind according to the UN.
As Peron once said when shared sovereignty was mooted in the past...yes agree to that because once we get a foothold nobody will ever get us out...
In order to etablish what Falkland Islanders interests actually are you must first ask them this question. Although the UN is quite clear in a large parts of its documentation what the interests of colonial countries and peoples should be. Not the least among which is freedom to choose their own future.
The 'tension' can only be eased when your country ceases to manufacture the situations which causes the “tensions” in the first place.
Please do not come back with the old 'implanted population' canard or I may well not be able to take your apparently friendly approach seriously.
Expat Kelper I am Argentinean and as I mention before we won´t drop the claim. I am honest about that. Let me tell you I have exchanged e mail and postal mail with an Islader in the past, of course we have a fundamental dissageement, but we had a very friendly a respectful exchange.
I disagree with the K policies toward the islands, but in the soverenety issue there is no disagreement. It may be the only topic almost all Argentineans agree. For bad politicians tension is better and less risky for their popularity, than take responsability.
I don´t even know your name, I will be happy to make friends from the Islands even if we have fundamental dissageements.
To me the real key problem that Argentian sees us a British european presence here. To us the key is we do not accept your sovereignty claim.
To me the answer may be then in full Independence(in a suitable form for a small country like we are). Perhaps with UK speaking for us at the UN and EEC and Arg speaking for us at the OAS and Mercosur? How do we get there in a way that saves face all round so no side can say it won and the other lost? Maybe after a diplomatic negotiation a point arrives where UK offers to give Sovereignty to Argentina - who immediatley recognises the rights of self determination of the Islanders and simultaneously grants us Independence? We then become Independent - inside the Commonwealth like Aust and New Zealand etc and many carribean countries - both Arg and UK recognising and guaranteing our Independence. Maybe it is possible -maybe not- but we need to try something away from the normal rhetoric where we all know neither side will give in.
If you let Argentina do that it won't be long before they insist on representing you everywhere and then start making decisions on your behalf...
It´s more easy a “2friends & trusting” situation without UK interfering and trying to dominate our resours. (our= argentine+ kelpers).
We don´t want UK as neighbours, and as this situation is sustained by force no friendship is possible, say UK to return to north hemisphere were it belongs and friendship will be a natural consequence.
Any suggestion otherwise, think at your peril. If you have ever had an eyeball to eyeball conversation with Major Dowling who served as part of the Argentine forces during the Falklands War then you can make judgement, if you haven't, think very carefully.
The President of Argentina & the Present of Chile are meeting soon with the Pope re the Beagle Channel agreement (remind me who now owns this territory?), so I'm thinking we head straight to the Pope to stop this meeting unless Argentina stops being so agressive and bullying in the South Atlantic. Does anyone have the Pope on their facebook?
Hopefully the Pope will make Argentine politicians see sense and drop this “I want these Islands”, and then yes, I can see friendship following.
Roberts, you'd better go back to elementary school. The other ignorant talks about ripped land. How hypocritical! Why don't you read about how the british stole and ripped land all round the world?
What could I expect from a couple of narrow-minded bennys!!!
As for who did what to who in 1833 - one point is that in 1833 NOBODY was doinfganything with the land - nothing just living in a few huts near the beach. It was my ancestors and those of other Islanders who worked hard and opened up the land to farming - just the same as they did in the south of your country for you. They went to your country and started building it for you - and naturally accepted the nationality of where they ended up living. Here it was the same, but a different nationality.
The difference is that the British do not shy away from the past, whilst Argentina usually does and in the most obsecenely hypocritical way.
The Falkland Islands are not Argentine land and never have been. You mention the close relationship that the British once had with Argentina, the myth of the Falkland Islands was used by Peron and his cronies to destroy that relationship. It seems it is still effective.
Can you imagine something similar educating Argentines about the terrible cruelties their ancestors inflicted in the Conquest of the Desert? I can't...
www.empiremuseum.co.uk/
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