MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Governor to give dinner to Di Tella

GOVERNOR TO GIVE DINNER TO DI TELLAThis weekend sees the arrival in the Islands of Dr. Guido DiTella, the longest serving Minister of Foreign Affairs the Argentine Government has ever had. When Carlos Menem lost the election last year, Dr. diTella effectively retired. His visit to the Islands is bound to stir some controversy though he is now only a tourist. But what role will officialdom play in the visit? Will there be any official recognition of the man or is former office? My guest on "One To One" this week is H. E. the Governor Mr. Donald Lamont (DL). TB: Governor, can you give us an indication of what role you'll be playing in Dr. diTella's visit? DL: It's been on the cards for some time that Dr. diTella would come. He's wanted to do that for a long time. He is coming with his son and daughter in law. He's made arrangements as any tourist would through a travel agency. We've not been engaged in constructing the programme nor has the Falkland Island(s) Government in any way. Nonetheless, it's true that he's not just any tourist, if you like, he's a politically significant tourist and I have a responsibility to consider how he should be met and what signals we send to Argentina in the way that people deal with this, certainly sensitive and potentially important visit. As I say, he's a tourist going to go around in Camp and in Stanley under his own steam, doing things that he would want and quite independent of any programme set up officially. Nonetheless, I feel obliged to do two things which I'd like to explain a bit because I think that there would be no doubt that they are sensitive in terms of Islander opinion. One is that I propose to be at the airport to be there when he arrives and the other is I have offered him a meal, an informal dinner at Government House. Now, let me explain why. I know that there will be considerable unease amongst many Islanders about these actions. I acknowledge these and I suppose that they could be defined as in a number of categories. I mean, I think some worry about plots "Ex Argen