MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Falkland Islands receives Red Cross representatives
The Argentine cemetery in Darwin where the identification of unknown soldiers will be taking place 
Laurent Corbaz from the Red Cross has visited the Falklands previously and is well aware of the situation 
”We hope that all (Argentine) soldiers are identified and the families are able to think of their future”, said chair of the Legislative Assembly, MLA Dr. Barry Elsby Two representatives from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) tasked with identifying fallen Argentine soldiers buried at Darwin cemetery, are due to arrive in the Falkland Islands on Thursday, 2nd February for 9 days.
Laurent Corbaz (who has visited the Islands before) and Patrick Sherry will be gathering information and finalizing plans for the ICRC DNA Identification team when it arrives this June or July.
Chair of the Legislative Assembly, Dr Barry Elsby MLA said: “we appreciate the ICRC taking the time to prepare for the DNA analysis work later in the year. This is a further opportunity for the ICRC to plan for the challenges they will face in the Falklands winter.”
He added: “Members are supportive of this humanitarian approach to identifying the unknown soldiers. We hope that all soldiers are identified and the families are able to think of their future.”
The DNA identification of Argentine combatants remains in Darwin was agreed and included in the September Argentina/UK joint statement as part of a major effort to improve bilateral relations. Negotiations on the task have been ongoing with decisive participation of Falklands representatives as part of the British delegation.
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Read all commentsArgentina will return the Holy Grail and a yellow 1956 Citroen 2CV sedan with 218,000 km to Andorra within 25 years.
Feb 03rd, 2017 - 03:44 am +2.......and no doubt they will not talk to any Falkland Islanders, because this is strictly bi-lateral.
Feb 03rd, 2017 - 12:42 pm +1Seems unlikely they are going to talk to many Islanders. Last visit they were put on the spot with the suggestion that they quietly and independently ask the Arg families next of kin if they wish to have the bodies of their beloved ones returned to them in Argentina for reburial in their home town/location.
Feb 05th, 2017 - 10:34 am +1This the ICRC said they had not thought of(perhaps because they knew it would be against Arg Govt Policy who could not give a damn really what the families prefer) but that they would indeed do so.
DEAD SILENCE from them now on this issue!
So one assumes it was felt a hot potato for the so called “neutral” ICRC to ask and best quietly dropped and shoved under the carpet like their attitude to the missiles etc that the Arg Hospital ship openly landed in Stanley in early June 1982.
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