MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentine Foreign Affairs Ministry drops name “Malvinas”

Argentine Foreign Minister Carlos Ruckauf signed a resolution changing the name of the Ministry department responsible for the Falklands Islands, known until now as General Directorate of Malvinas and Southern Atlantic Islands to General South Atlantic Directorate, according to press reports published in Buenos Aires today.

According to Ambito Financiero by changing the name of the department responsible for the Malvinas, South Georgia and South Sandwich islands "with one fell swoop" Ruckauf has in effect "abolished the administrative use of the name Malvinas" in what the paper describes as a "useless reformist display."

The business paper goes on to point out that "at a time when new openings are being discussed in similar sorts of conflicts, as is happening between Britain and Spain over Gibraltar, Buenos Aires decides to erase the name "Malvinas".

As if were unimportant, something that could be discarded, and not a symbol close to the hearts of all Argentines.

In doing, so, the patriotic fervour and emotion shown by president Eduardo Duhalde during the recent April 2 celebrations, twenty years after the recovery of the islands, has now been refuted."