MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentina reaffirms “exclusive authority” over all Falklands’ hydrocarbons activities

The strong release was also announced at the Shanghai World Expo Argentine pavilion by Jorge Taiana

Argentina reaffirmed “exclusive authority” over all hydrocarbons activities in the Islas Malvinas territory and maritime spaces in a strong release to commemorate June 10th, Day of Argentina’s Sovereignty Rights over Malvinas.

The release states that “in respect to the current situation derived from unilateral illegal hydrocarbons exploration and exploitation activities in the zone illegitimately occupied by the United Kingdom, the Argentine government reaffirms its exclusive authority to establish conditions that make possible hydrocarbon activities in areas of the Argentine continental platform”.

Therefore any pretension to authorize the accomplishment of the referred activities which do not emanate from the Argentine government, constitute an illicit action both for Argentine Law as for international law”.

The release was also made public in Shanghai’s World Expo during the “Argentine Day” with Chancellor Jorge Taiana and several of his closest aides sharing the official picture with high ranking Chinese authorities.

The release goes on to say that the “Argentine claim over those territories and austral maritime spaces is supported by the countries of our region”.

Furthermore several international organizations and forums such as United Nations, Organization of American States; Ibero-American summits; the South Atlantic Peace and Cooperation zone; the South American-Arab countries summits; the South America-Africa summit; the Rio Group and the Latinamerica and Caribbean leaders’ summit “recognize the existence of the sovereignty dispute and call on both sides to resume the negotiation process”.

The Argentine government reiterates once again on this Day, its standing willingness to resume negotiations geared to find a peaceful and definitive solution to the sovereignty dispute over the Malvinas Islands question.

However, unfortunately so far “a persistent and unjustified negative from the UK government perpetuates the anachronism of a colonial situation incompatible with the advancement of time”.

“June 10, the Day of the Reaffirmation of Rights over the Malvinas, South Atlantic Islands and the Antarctic sector”, the Argentine nation recalls the creation in 1829 of the “Military and Political Command of the Malvinas Islands and adjacencies to Cape Horn in the Atlantic Sea”, a decree signed by then interim governor of the Buenos Aires province, Brigadier General Martin Rodriguez.

“Since its origins as an independent nation the Argentine Republic has openly expressed through acts of government, the effective exercise of its sovereignty over the austral territories and maritime spaces inherited from Spain”.

The release adds that the Argentine government (form its very origin) never ceased to reaffirm its legitimate rights over the Islands and has toiled to ensure the rule of the law for the better protection of the Argentine population and from other countries resident in the Islands. Thus the appropriate institutional framework was created for the development of the colonizing enterprise sponsored by the governor of the Islas Malvinas, Don Luis Vernet.

To that respect “the effective exercise of sovereignty was interrupted on 3 January 1833 when British forces occupied the Islas Malvinas, ousting the Argentine population and authorities there established and replacing them with British subjects”.

But underlines the release, “the Argentine people and government never consented to such act of force and ratify on this Day the historic mandate enshrined in the First Transitory Disposition of the National Constitution which states its permanent and unrenounceable determination to recover the Islands through peaceful diplomatic negotiations in the full exercise of sovereignty over the Malvinas, South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands”.

This objective is a policy of State and responds to the collective strong desire from the people of the Argentine nation, concludes the communiqué.