MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Falklands Mine Clearance Talks in Argentina

Discussions on how to clear thousands of Argentine mines planted during the 1982 Falklands invasion have been taking place in Buenos Aires between Argentine and British experts. As a four-man British Foreign Office and Ministry of Defence delegation arrived in Buenos Aires, the British Government rejected a Buenos Aires newspaper suggestion in La Nacion claiming that the talks are "unquestionably a big step forward in the bilateral negotiations on the sovereignty of the islands". The United Kingdom has consistently rejected Argentina's claim to the islands, which it insists are British. A British Government spokesperson in London told Mercopress that the talks have no implications whatever for the sovereignty dispute.

Delay in tackling the mines problem has resulted not just from the technical difficulty of finding a foolproof method of detecting and removing them, but also from a complication arising from the sovereignty dispute because an international accord on mines clearance, the 1997 Ottawa Treaty, lays the responsibility for removing mines on the country with territorial rights. This raises the question : Who will carry out the clearance? Will it be a joint effort?

While Britain welcomed a commitment from the previous Menem Government to pay for the clearance of the mines, it rejects any suggestion that this involves any compromise on the sovereignty claim. The De La Rua Government's official responsible for Falklands affairs, Susana Ruiz Cerruiti, is quoted as saying: "Argentina will pay whatever it costs to remove the mines planted by Argentine troops. Removal of British mines will be at British expense".

The cost is estimated at more than 250 million dollars ( over 160-million pounds), to remove about 16,000 Argentine mines. The feasibility of clearing the mines was discussed by the British Defence Secretary, Geoff Hoon, during his visit to Argentina in March.

In contrast to fatalities caused by mines in other parts of the world, the Falkland Islands have an excellent safety record in controlling the minefields and protecting the public. Minefields are cordoned off with barbed wire, and clearly marked with danger signs. Specialist Royal Engineer bomb disposal experts stationed in the Isla