Ecuador calls for an end to colonialism in Malvinas, Puerto Rico and Guantanamo
Ecuadorean Minister of Foreign Affairs Ricardo Patiño called on Wednesday for an end to the remains of colonialism and specifically mentioned the Falklands/Malvinas, Puerto Rico and the US Guantanamo base in Cuba.
Addressing the UN Regional seminar of the United Nations Special Committee on Decolonization (also known as the C-24) in Quito, Patiño described as “shameful” the fact that al least ten territories remain listed as colonies.
He recalled that in the case of Malvinas, Argentina is “only demanding a negotiations process to end with this colonialism situation”.
“We have always supported Argentina in its claim over the Malvinas Islands. We have never been accomplices of the great powers vision towards the UK and its audacity of pretending to continue dominating colonially those Islands in the South Atlantic”, emphasized Patiño.
The Ecuadorean official also underlined the significance for Puerto Rico, “clearly a Latin American people, of having the option to become a nation with sovereignty that can run its own affairs” and recalled that next November a referendum will be held to determine the political relation the Puerto Rican people want to have with the United States.
As to Guantanamo in Cuba “which is not in the list of colonial dependencies, it is not only a foreign power redoubt but also a space to retain prisoners of war, which we know that besides that condition they are systematically tortured almost, almost…with the OK from some authorities”.
Patiño said he expects the regional seminar to advance in the decolonization process at a faster pace.
“Let’s not be so slow with this issue…we need to advance with determination”, insisted Patiño recalling that on “dozens of occasion” the UN has called on the UK to sit at the negotiations table with Argentina to address the Falklands/Malvinas sovereignty dispute.
“We expect the UK not to remain deaf to these UN requests”.
“When we like what the UN has to say, we immediately enforce it and if possible with heavy bombings and we go well beyond words. But when we don’t like what the UN says we dump it in the dust bin”, said Patiño on criticizing what the described as “double standards and double morals” from the leading powers.
The Pacific regional seminar has convened experts from sixty countries and international organizations.
“It is shameful that even today we are talking about colonized and excluded peoples. Let’s hope this is the last decade of subjugation and disdain towards those condemned in our XXI century” and the protocol referred to the ‘administering powers’ of non self governing territories is finally reviewed.
“It is in the highest interest of the international community to decolonize the 16 non self governing territories which still exist in the world”, said Patiño who asked from the delegates and representatives “a self critical” attitude of the seminar which ends on Friday.
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www.cpj.org/blog/2012/05/nations-urge-ecuador-to-guarantee-freedom-of-expre.php
I can tell that most puerto Ricans that I know ( this is just like saying Texans , not as a name imposed by a country) want to be Americans.
Let a face it, probably many of Ecuador s people want to live in the US.
We are not perfect but somehow here you can have a better life.
As far as Guantanamo I can care less. Finally the falklands is an eternal River Boca( my mother was born in Argenrtina so I know about soccer rivalries). I believe it may never end. There is a good thing about being an American living in the continental US and living abroad. When you live here people do not talk about other countries ( as much as it could hurt many people who think we do, well we don't), the bad thing is the same, unless we read newspapers or sites like this we ignore what goes around the world.
God bless you all
Ecuador seems to be ran by morons.
3 Lorton(Rotted) still alive? For a while I thought that your students played target shooting on you :-)
Option 1: stay a BOT (which is what the population want)
Option 2: have full independence forced on you and leave you defenceless against an aggressive neighbour
There is no Option 3.
It is however nice to see that they reject colonialism and by default respect the self-determination of the islanders.
Sorry, no one cares about the US or Puerto Rico, much less in Argentina. And this website is to insult Argentine war dead, not to talk about the USA.
#2 If the Puerto Ricans want to stay American, fine, let Puerto Rico become the 51st state and let them have the same rights to elect Senators and Congressmen as other Americans; to be an “American” but to live in what is effectively a colony of the US, neither independent nor part of the mother country, surely violates their constitutional rights to equality under the law. Independence or statehood, and the same goes for Guam etc, they are the only options compatible with being an equal citizen of somwhere in today's world. As for Guantanamo, no-one cares that you don't care, its an absolute disgrace that its still there after 10 years, holding people some of whom have been cleared of all charges for up to 5 years yet are still being held, and tortured for as long as they are still held most likely, because the system is simply unable to process them. At least it means when you say torture is going on in Cuba you're technically telling the truth!
#8 And the US???
I know the islanders want to retain their UK links, but I really think that independence is the only way forwards for the Falklands. It would stop Argentina's claims dead in their tracks and they could then invite the UK to use their land as a military base if they so wished. I'd like to know what negative effects the islanders see from going for the independence route.
The Falkland Islands may seek independence one day but this will never happen while we live under constant hostility from Argentina. Removal of the soveireignty claim will not change their attitude towards us. As you can see from other posts, the Argentine government cultivates a hatred of the British, a disdain for Falkland Islanders and fury over the presence of a British military base. It will take a generation or two to work this out of their society, if in fact they are minded to do so (will they drop the 'history' lesson they teach in schools?) and we will still need military protection until we are confident we can trust them, which will take a generation or o on our side.
And apart from that, we like being British and have no interest in changing the status quo. Britain is happy with this. I don't why anyone else should make it their business to decide what is right for us.
“It is shameful that even today we are talking about colonized and excluded peoples. Let’s hope this is the last decade of subjugation and disdain towards those condemned in our XXI century”
Where are the 'colonised peoples'? = they are in Argentina. The Amerindians were colonised by the Spanish & murdered by them. They now represent 1.8% of the Argentine population, but are a truly oppressed people under the terms of the decolonisation declaration. When are the immigrants decolonising Argentina?
Where are the subjugated people on the Falklands? = none.
Where are the excluded people? = Argentines are allowed to visit, but not to invade aggressively.
The only disdain is for acts which are illegal under the United Nations charter. If Ecuador believes that these should be legal, then they have no place in the UN.
The Ecuadorian president asks for Self-Determination for the Puerto Ricans, but excludes the Falkland Islanders from the same basic human right.
OAS - Hypocrites all of them.
Nice Rant...anyone else listening
RG's only use this commitee to colonise the islands for themselves
They care so much they invaded the Falklands and planned to move the people off, to colonise the islands for themselves. And dont throw 1833 false history back at me because we all know the truth. RG's wish to colonise the islands FACT
Ecuador the bastion of free speech, just like all the latam countries. Christ all mighty (pardon my french), the only bastion I can see are those BOTS in the carribean and a bunch of windswept islands 290 miles from the nearest continent.
Free speach? You mean like the Brit that got “suicided” for wanting to reveal the truth of what happened in Iraq? What was his name? David Kelly, was it?
As for Guantanamo kill all of them and close it. There is no reason to keep those psychopaths alive. We should have dropped them in the ocean as soon as we extracted all the info we needed.
@24 As honoria has pointed out, the Falklands are happy with the existing situation vis a vis Britain. Adopting a French mechanism would achieve what? The Falkland Islands are “administered” under a British system that Britain is happy with, the Falkland Islanders are happy with and with which the UN Trusteeship Council is satisfied. If the Islanders want something else, they can ask for it. They haven't.
@31 No, we mean like the 30,000 argies that got “disappeared” between 1976 and 1983. Not forgetting the confirmation from argie military intelligence that they “disappeared” 22,000 themselves between late 1975 and mid-July 1978. That's just 3 years. Plenty of time before 1983 to “disappear” the other 8,000. Or more! And Uruguay is not blameless. Unless you want to tell us you never saw all those flights over the River Plate and the little objects (with flailing arms) falling from the aircraft. 22 a day. Every day. No bodies on your side of the river?
Fred, keep working hard, Puerto Ricans looove your quota(welfare)checks every month :-)))))
Uruguay were not watching the Argentinian flights, we were busy getting tortured by our own military, with a helping hand of the CIA.
Read your (our) history before you comment on it! I understand if you don't care, but if that's the case, eat your nails and don't bloody comment.
Guantamo like I said dont care much. Jut close it.
Technically Spanish is well spoken around the states since we have a large Hispanic American population. And for the likes of those who like to speak without fundaments most of them have been here for generations and many before this country was born (see west Texas and all the way to the pacific.
As an American I can care less what people speak as long as we all get along.
Although pulling off some ill considered stunt is alaways a possiblity.
US has official language which is -- American English --.
Aussie English is better than Americans and British using.
No. There is no official US language. It is official in several states but not as a whole country. It's an “unofficial” language.
“Aussie English is better than Americans and British using.”
No.
Argentina - Colony, taken from indigenous people.
Falklands - Colony, formerly uninhabited.
Note the UN Decolonialisation process involves the inhabitants of the territory deciding for themselves. Self determination.
Subsequent treatment of prisoners of the military was unforgivably cruel and completely unexcusable because there was no longer any terrorist threat. Many of the torture sessions, sometimes ending in death, were to obtain information about money stolen by terrorists years earlier, rather than information of a military or political nature.
Many of Uruguay's present-day Gov't authorities were illegally imprisoned, mistreated and tortured during the dictatorship. That they have forsaken violence and turned to democratic process is very much to their credit.
But I don't see what this has to do with Argentine policy regarding the Falklands.
Australia ?....New Zealand ?....Diego Garcia ?...some Pacific Islands?
Rhodesia ?....Belize ?....
If he had done some research he would have discovered that Argentina has no legal right to the Falkland Islands and their claims are based on misinformation regarding historical facts and geographical proximity.
Hasn't Mr Patino heard about the rights of 'self determination?'
And as far as Puerto Rico goes the last pole taken showed that approximately 50% want Statehood but only 2.5% want independence. Of course CFK supports the Puerto Rico independence movement.
the falklands should now be incorperated into great britain fully,
yes or no.
this would end this greedy argentine crap, and the bloogers will simply move to claim atlantis .
mmmmmmmm
The official language is the constitution written language.
as i think mine was in latin, or ye old english,
one must have a look .
Two questions for you:
When did the military take power in Uruguay?
When was Liber Arce murdered?
What do you know that the police do not?
Maybe one day your country will be as free as the uk but I'm not holding my breath.
Unfortunately at this moment Argentina is sandwiched in between Benin and Burkina Faso as one of the most corrupt countries in the World. This reflects badly on their democracy, and aspirations.
..and Easter Island, gordo1 @38.
'If you blame Argentina and Uruguay for what their respective regimes did under the NON-elected military dictatorships, you are just fishing for arguments, and I wont bother explaining it to you, as you obviously don't understand what a military dictatorship means.
Uruguay were not watching the Argentinian flights, we were busy getting tortured by our own military, with a helping hand of the CIA.
Read your (our) history before you comment on it! I understand if you don't care, but if that's the case, eat your nails and don't bloody comment.'
Except that most of Argentine history consists of caudillist demagogues alternating with military dictatorships, Guzz@40. Peron was both, which might explain why Peronism is so popular and long-lasting.
@61 Pete Bog - I wouldn't claim to understand the machinations of this bizarre committee C-24 but it seems all the Falkland Islanders would need to do to have the same status as the French territory in the eyes of the C-24 would be to elect an MP to the British parliament. Then the Falklands would be part of Britain in the same way that French Guyana is a part of France and that presumably would be fine for the C-24. The fact that the Falkland Islanders choose to do things differently and Britain chooses to go about a different relationship with it's overseas territories to the way France does in this case seems to make it a target for this bunch of busybodies. It is difficult to comprehend...it's not like you hear any great noise from the peeps in St Helena to be independent, or any other BOT for that matter.
BTW where is Greek Yoghurt, I do miss his posts
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