MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Falklands’ military operations trigger “formal and energetic” Unasur protest

UK Ambassador in Buenos Aires Shan Morgan

The Union of South American Nations, Unasur severely criticized the United Kingdom for the announced military exercises with missiles in the Falklands/Malvinas Islands. Argentina claims sovereignty over the South Atlantic Islands which are a British Overseas Territory.

The twelve member organization which includes Argentina “express their most formal and energetic protest” and demand that the British government “abstains from going ahead” with the military tests with missiles in Malvinas Islands, according to the release dated in Quito, Ecuador that currently holds the pro-tempore chair of the group.

The group rejects the military exercises because “they are totally contrary to the region’s policy to search for a solution to the sovereignty dispute through peaceful means”, adds the release.

Finally Unasur reaffirms its “full support to the legitimate rights” of Argentina in the sovereignty dispute over the South Atlantic islands and to the regional interest for London and Buenos Aires to resume negotiations so as to find, as quickly as possible, a peaceful and definitive solution to the controversy”.

In Buenos Aires Foreign Affairs minister Hector Timerman informed President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner that there are different information from the Foreign Office and the British Embassy in Argentina regarding military exercises in the Malvinas/Falkland Islands.

On Monday UK Ambassador Shan Morgan was called by Deputy Foreign Minister Alberto Dalotto to receive the formal protest of Argentina on military activities and missile testing in Falkland Islands waters.

At the meeting, Morgan said that “the Embassy was not informed of any exercises” and that, after having a communication with the Islands’ authorities she was made aware of the performance of certain routinely expeditions.

From London a Foreign Office spokesperson on Monday downplayed the whole incident arguing that “these are routine military tests that have taken place every six months for the past 28 years, most recently in April this year”. The spokesperson added that “shipping alerts are always issued in advance and the tests take place entirely within Falklands’ territorial waters”.

According to Argentine sources is was a Royal Navy officer who informed the Argentine Naval Hydrographic Service that missile tests would be conducted in the Islands as part of land-sea exercise. Allegedly normally the communication would be channeled through the Argentine Navy.

Nevertheless Timerman said that Argentina would ignore the UK provocations.

“We're very concerned by a recent escalation or provocation being carried out by the United Kingdom, but we're going to abide by what's dictated by the law, peace, and diplomacy,” Mr. Timerman said.