MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

No blue and white “Virgin of Lujan” on Argentine Monument.

Criticisms of the proposed permanent Argentine Monument at Darwin were voiced at a public meeting in Port Stanley, so indicating that the granting of a planning licence will be far from a formality, as first thought.

255 Argentines, the victims of the 1982 Falklands War, are buried in the Cemetery although only half of the bodies are named, owing to the lack of identification.

It was brought to the attention of Councillors during the public meeting that it is the intention of the Argentine Commission of War Veterans and Families, the organization which has filed the planning application, to position 24 plaques on the Monument, one for each Province it is assumed. However it was pointed out that there are only 23 Provinces in Argentina, thus indicating that the 24th is intended to represent the Falklands!

Several people spoke out strongly against the inclusion of the 24th plaque and additionally expressed their opposition to the siting of a permanent Monument in the Cemetery, which currently features only a large cross. A sizeable cairn, erected in the Cemetery by Argentine next-of-kin but without permission from Falklands authorities, was removed late last year.

Complaints were also aired by Islanders over the displaying of the planning application and diagram in the Islands only bank - Standard Chartered - in Port Stanley. It was felt that this prevented many people from being able to view the Monument plans adequately and consequently did not permit discussion and comment by the population, prior to this weeks meeting of the Planning & Building Committee which under the Chairmanship of a Falklands Councillor.

The outline plans have not, despite reports to the contrary in the Argentine newspaper CLARIN,already received Islander approval while the British Foreign Office has no input whatsoever, said Councillors.

Suggestions from Buenos Aires that a statue of the Virgin of Lujan would appear in blue and white at the top of the Monument, were dismissed by Councillor Lewis Clifton. 'We want the Monument to look dignified', was his curt comment.

During the public meeting Councillors were reminded that 'full public consultation' had been promised with respect to the long awaited Argentine application but this 'had not transpired', and it was suggested that the Executive Council would need to be consulted as the application had now taken on a political slant. There may be issues which the Planning and Building C