MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

OAS reiterates call for Falklands dialogue and praises Argentine constructive approach towards inhabitants of the Malvinas

The closing ceremony of the OAS 48th General Assembly held in Washington

The Organization of American States, OAS, general assembly which concluded on Tuesday in Washington with strong statements condemning Venezuela and calling for peace and understanding in Nicaragua, also included a statement on the Malvinas Islands submitted by Argentina.

 As usual the declaration calls on Argentina and UK to resume negotiations in order to find, as soon as possible, a peaceful solution to the sovereignty dispute, and praises the reaffirmation of the will of the Argentine Government to continue exploring all possible avenues towards a peaceful settlement of the dispute and its constructive approach towards the inhabitants of the Malvinas Islands.

The declaration on “The question of the Malvinas Islands” reads as follows,

CONSIDERING its repeated statements that the question of the Malvinas Islands is a matter of enduring hemispheric concern;

RECALLING its resolution AG/RES. 928 (XVIII-O/88), adopted by consensus on November 19, 1988, in which it requested the Governments of the Argentine Republic and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to resume negotiations in order to find, as soon as possible, a peaceful solution to the sovereignty dispute;

BEARING IN MIND that in its resolution AG/RES. 1049 (XX-O/90) it expressed satisfaction over the resumption of diplomatic relations between the two countries;

RECOGNIZING that the accreditation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, under resolution CP/RES. 655 (1041/95), as a permanent observer of the OAS reflects principles and values shared by that country and OAS member states, which facilitate greater mutual understanding;

NOTING with satisfaction that the Governments of the Argentine Republic and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland maintain important political, cultural, and trade ties, share common values, and are also engaged in close cooperation both bilaterally and in international forums;

BEARING IN MIND that, despite those ties and shared values, it has not yet been possible to resume the negotiations between the two countries with a view to solving the sovereignty dispute over the Malvinas Islands, South Georgia, and South Sandwich Islands and the surrounding maritime areas in the framework of resolutions 2065 (XX), 3160 (XXVIII), 31/49, 37/9, 38/12, 39/6, 40/21, 41/40, 42/19 and 43/25 of the United Nations General Assembly, the decisions adopted by the same body on the same question in the Special Committee on Decolonization, and the reiterated resolutions and declarations adopted at the OAS General Assembly; and

HAVING HEARD the presentation by the head of the delegation of the Argentine Republic,

WELCOMES the reaffirmation of the will of the Argentine Government to continue exploring all possible avenues towards a peaceful settlement of the dispute and its constructive approach towards the inhabitants of the Malvinas Islands.

REAFFIRMS the need for the Governments of the Argentine Republic and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to resume, as soon as possible, negotiations on the sovereignty dispute, in order to find a peaceful solution to this protracted controversy.

DECIDES to continue to examine the question of the Malvinas Islands at its subsequent sessions until a definitive settlement has been reached thereon.