Argentine Foreign Minister Hector Timerman dismissed another attempt by Falkland Islands representatives to engage in dialogue and refused to accept a letter addressed to him and a newly published booklet on the Falklands History.
The Falklands Islands will be under Argentine control within 20 years, Minister Hector Timerman said in an interview with The Guardian and The Independent in London insisting that not one single country in the world supports the UK governing the Falklands.
Foreign Secretary William Hague said on Monday that he continues ‘open’ to a meeting with his peer from Argentina, Hector Timerman, although he insisted that if the talks refer to Falklands’ issues, representatives from the Islands should be present.
Foreign minister Hector Timerman is in London and has reiterated his request and willingness to hold a bilateral meeting with Foreign Secretary William Hague, “the two alone, to address numerous issues of the bilateral and multilateral agenda”, says a letter from Argentine Ambassador Alicia Castro dated February 4 addressed to the Foreign Office and made public in Buenos Aires.
The Foreign Office has reiterated its concern about the Argentine’s government behaviour towards the Falkland Islanders and considers it ‘right and proper’ that they should be involved in the part of those meetings with Argentina that concern the Islands.
The last round of the Falklands’ dispute between the UK and Argentina seems to have exposed a new blunder of Minister Hector Timerman, since according to the Foreign Office from the very request last December for a meeting with Foreign Secretary William Hague this month in London, the Argentine official was clearly informed that Falklands’ representatives would be present when the particular issue of the Islands was raised.
The Falkland Islands government said on Friday it deeply regrets that Argentine Foreign Minister Hector Timerman refused to meet with lawmakers from the Islands and Foreign Secretary William Hague, next week when he travels to London.
Visiting United States Congressman Thomas E Petri expressed approval of the decision of Falkland Islanders to hold a referendum on the political status and future of the Falklands.
Vice-president Nicolas Maduro, read an eleven page letter he said was written by ailing President Hugo Chavez in which the Venezuelan leader calls for Latinamerican unit, praises Cuba’s chairmanship of CELAC group and takes time to support Argentina’s claims over the Falkland/Malvinas Islands.
Hydrocarbons exploration company Borders and Southern Petroleum announced on Monday that the development of its gas condensate discovery in the Falkland Islands is commercially viable. B&S made its Darwin (East-West) discovery in April and has been carrying out tests to determine the nature of its find.