MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

UK must resist Argentine sovereignty claim. Sir Rex Hunt's

The sacrifice of British lives in liberating the Falkland Islands in 1982 and British money and effort since will have been in vain if ever sovereignty is conceded to Argentina, declares former Governor Sir Rex Hunt in his updated book, “My Falkland Days”.

In new material added to the book as a "Postscript", Sir Rex Hunt writes: "If a future British Government decides to hand over the Falkland Islands, it will have to impose a settlement upon the Islanders against their wishes and renounce the principle of self-determination. The Islanders will never be persuaded that their best interests lie with Argentina". "We must stand firm on sovereignty", Sir Rex Hunt declares. "We must never again mislead the Argentines into believing that if they push hard enough, we will concede sovereignty. "Before 1982, the Islanders suffered from the neglect of successive British Governments. They caused no trouble, therefore they were largely ignored. If they were considered at all, it was in the context of British interests in South America, where their very existence was an irritating anachronism. British interests would best be served, thought some, by handing over the Islands to Argentina. It was wishful thinking that this would also be in the Islanders' interests. Let us not delude ourselves".

New prosperity and financial independence
Sir Rex chides "those who put pocket before principle and cannot see the point of spending British taxpayers' money down in the South Atlantic". He emphasises that thanks to the new prosperity from fishing revenue and wise investment of reserves, the Falklands are financially independent, except for defence, and the Islanders have pledged to pay for that as well, if oil is found in commercial quantities. Sir Rex Hunt says it is a far cry from 1968 when a Foreign Office Minister, Lord Chalfont, tried to win over hostile local opinion on closer ties with Argentina, "leading gradually but inexorably to the acceptance of Argentine sovereignty".

Self-confidence permeates population
Returning to the Falkland Islands recently, Sir Rex and Lady Hunt discerned a feeling that had not been there previously, permeating through the population. "It was one of self-confidence. The Islanders have always been self-reliant.....in order to survive. But this new feeling was different. Regardless of Argentina's continuing claim, they face the future with confidence, in the firm belief they can and will be masters of their own destiny. There is still widespread and almost unanimous dislike, fear and distrust of Argentina". Sir Rex concludes: "After what has happened over the last twenty years, who can blame them?" The book underlines the great progress that has been made in almost every aspect of Falklands life, not least in education. More Islanders are graduating from British universities and, most encouragingly, returning to the Islands to live and work. The whole population is becoming more qualified. With almost a quarter of the population under fifteen years of age, those seeking higher education are bound to increase. The population is now higher than the previous in 1931, with 80 per cent under 50 years of age, and more than 50 per cent owning computers. A proposed new deep water port will encourage the growth of cruise-ship tourism and development of port-related industries such as fish processing and freezer plants.

Invasion shatters tranquil sojourn
The book details his six momentous years as Governor of the Falklands, a distinct contrast to his previous diplomatic career spent mostly in the Far East and Africa. He and Lady Hunt were promised a "tranquil sojourn" after hectic years in Malaysia and in Vietnam when they were among the last to be evacuated from Saigon as South Vietnam capitulated and United States forces withdrew. The tranquillity was shattered by the Argentine invasion. He re-tells the story of the crisis leading to conflict and how he mobilised the Islands' defences to resist overwhelming Argentine forces. He criticises the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for sometimes keeping him in the dark and quotes again the famous FCO eve-of-invasion telegram, couched, as usual, in cautious diplomatic language: "We have apparently reliable evidence that an Argentine Task Force will gather off Cape Pembroke (at Port Stanley) early tomorrow morning. You will wish to make your dispositions accordingly". Putting the telegram on his desk, a colleague remarked: "They might have added ?Goodbye and the best of British....'"

Remarkable rapport; enduring friendships
What permeates the whole book is the remarkable rapport Sir Rex and Lady Hunt established with the Islanders and the many enduring friendships they made, from the most senior officials to lonely shepherds in the remotest farm settlements, and his chauffeur and confidante, Don Bonner. Sir Rex was no stuffy diplomatic, no formal FCO apparatchik remote from the people he governed. No, all over the islands, he and Mavis stayed in their homes, attended their church bazaars, sheepdog trials, and other social events, playing darts and golf and taking to the dance floor with them, young and old alike. He points out that Governors are different from Ambassadors and High Commissioners, in having to wear two hats. They have to represent their home government and put across its policies and also, as head of the colonial government, they have a duty to carry out that government's decisions and policies.

Resignation before betraying Islanders
"Conflicts of interest were bound to arise and I had previously determined that , if it should ever reach the stage where the FCO instructed me to pursue a policy that I believed to be against the best interests of the Falkland Islanders, I should have no alternative but to resign". Sir Rex Hunt's dramatic story is told with intimate experience and personal insight into the trauma and danger of invasion and occupation, and of life or death decisions, interspersed with great good humour. He walked his unique tightrope with sure-footed diplomatic skill and courage. It is a very personal story told in a very personal way.

"My Falkland Days" by Sir Rex Hunt, CMG, paperback 420 pages, £14.99, published by Politico's, 8 Artillery Row, Westminster, London SW1P 1RZ, Telephone: 020 7931 0090; email: publishing@politicos.co.uk ISBN 1842750178

Harold Briley, (MP) London