MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

'Baroness Scotland concludes her Antarctic tour'

Baroness Patricia Scotland, Minister in Tony Blair's British Government sitting in the House of Lords, has indicated that Britain will not be rushed into agreeing that the proposed Antarctic Secretariat be located in Buenos Aires.

The Minister who has responsibility for Overseas Territories in the House of Lords, has just concluded a visit to British scientific Bases in Antarctica and the Falklands. She refused to be drawn into agreeing totally that Britain will oppose any plan to locate the Secretariat in Argentina saying, 'I think what we will maintain ?.is what is in the best interest of Britain but it will always be of course that we will have to negotiate the position with others'.

The Argentine Government has long maintained that the Antarctic Secretariat should be located in Buenos Aires, but several years after the Countries who have interests in Antarctica, agreed the need for a Headquarters, little progress has been made with respect to approving a permanent site.

Baroness Scotland who is believed to be the first ever British Minister to visit Antarcticaindicated that it could be some considerable time before a decision will be taken in relation to where the Secretariat will be located. ?There has been a lot of discussion and debate and nothing has been resolved as to where it (Secretariat) should be and I think it is quite clear that there are going to be continuing discussions in relation to the location', said the Minister.

Asked to comment on the Joint Statement of July 1999 which allows Argentine passport to now visit the Islands, Baroness Scotland said that the Agreement has brought benefits to both sides and in particular Argentines are now ?better informed about the Falklands' than they were previously. She maintained that Argentine ?views are changing' and that Argentines now know how British the Islands are. However she added that there ?should always be room for further development'.

Baroness Scotland who has particular interests in the rights of women and children and minority groups, said that she had visited the school in Stanley and talked to young people between the ages of 15 and 18. Teenagers in the Islands have long complained that the Government takes little interest in their social well being and have little interest in their plight. ?They made it absolutely clear what they want. They would like a center that they could use for themselves and they would like it not just to include sport so that they