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Ban Ki-moon good offices on Falklands issue if “both parties are willing to engage”

Monday, June 18th 2012 - 02:24 UTC
Full article 80 comments
Argentine President Cristina Fernandez with the UN Secretary General Argentine President Cristina Fernandez with the UN Secretary General

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon reiterated his good offices to help resolve the Falklands/Malvinas sovereignty dispute between Argentina and the UK, but also pointed out “as long as the parties are willing to engage”.

Secretary General Ban Ki-moon last week on the sidelines of the UN Decolonization Committee debate on the Falklands/Malvinas dispute held a meeting with Argentina’s President Cristina Fernández, in “which they discussed a range of issues on the global agenda”, according to an official release in the UN website.

The issues discussed included the Falkland Islands (Malvinas). The Governments of Argentina and the United Kingdom have been engaged in a dispute concerning the sovereignty of the islands, located in the South Atlantic Ocean.

“The Secretary-General acknowledged the strong regional support for this issue and reiterated that his good offices to resolve this dispute remain available if the parties are willing to engage,” according to information provided by Mr. Ban’s spokesperson.

The release adds that the UN chief and President Fernández discussed the situation in Haiti, where Argentina has military and police personnel serving as peacekeepers with the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti MINUSTAH.

“The Secretary-General thanked Argentina for its ongoing support for MINUSTAH,” Mr. Ban’s spokesperson said, adding that, “He congratulated Argentina on the implementation of gender strategies in defence and peacekeeping operations”.

Likewise the two leaders discussed expectations for the upcoming meeting of the Group of 20 (G20), taking place on 18-19 June in Los Cabos, Mexico; and the Secretary-General welcomed Argentina’s commitment to a successful outcome at the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20), taking place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, next week.
 

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  • puerto argentino

    Mr Ban Ki-moon, we hope that you work hard and impose his good offices and fix this problem as soon as possible, we want the Malvinas Islands back again to their owners and The Argentine Government to respect the population implanted with all its rights, language, cup of tea at 5pm, culture, etc,etc

    Jun 18th, 2012 - 02:38 am 0
  • brit abroad

    I still dont get why you guys want them so badly!!
    For strategic reasons?? i hear you are all just good peacful people so it cant be for that!
    For the natural resources? well if you are happy to keep the current population there, then just talk to them and share the wealth!!! Still no need for a flag a change of flag etc
    National Pride???? Ahhhh...........I think i have it! Its about pride and nothing else, just something for the RG's to strut about!!!!

    Did I miss something?

    Jun 18th, 2012 - 02:57 am 0
  • JohnN

    Has Moon asked the Falkland Islanders what they want yet? Might be important to wait until after the referendum before getting into any talks, should the Falkland Islanders express an interest in doing so.

    While some Argentines may actually believe that their government might respect Falkland Islands customs (ie, cup of tea at 5pm) and language, unfortunately, it is highly doubtful that the full measure of rights could be adequately respected.

    For example, if we use the ranking of Britain as an indicator of Falkland Islands rights, we see that there is a significant advantage enjoyed by the Falkland Islands over Argentina in terms of rights, as defined by Corruption Perception Index, UN Human Development Index, Freedom index, etc, etc.

    Better that only after bringing rights and standards enjoyed by Argentines up to Falkland Island levels, would be wise for Argentina to initiate a request for engaging the Falkland Island Government in any exploratory talks.

    Jun 18th, 2012 - 03:22 am 0
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