MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
New Minister for Latin America and Falkland Islands
A new Foreign Office Minister has been appointed by the Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, to take over responsibility for Latin American and Falkland Islands issues.
He is Bill Rammell, aged 43, formerly an assistant whip in the House of Commons. He replaces Dr Denis MacShane, who has been promoted as Minister for Europe. It is only last year that Dr McShane, a former journalist and BBC producer, replaced John Battle as the Minister dealing with Latin America and the Falkland Islands. Bill Rammell has been a Member of Parliament (for Harlow in Southern England) only since 1997 and, unlike his predecessor, has no previous experience of the Foreign Office. Dr McShane had worked as a parliamentary private secretary to several Ministers, including Tony Lloyd, who was involved in the July 14 Falklands agreement with Argentina in 1999.
French speaker interested in Europe Mr Rammell is a French speaker having earned an honours degree in French and politics degree at Cardiff University where he was President of the Students' Union in 1982. He lists his countries of interest as France, Sweden, the USA, Germany, Hungary and the Netherlands, and his "special interests" as Europe, education, housing , economic policy, media and sport. There is no mention of Latin America. He married in 1983 and has children. He has had a varied professional career, as a British Rail management trainee, a National Union of Journalists' official, head of Basildon Council Youth Services and a business manager at two London Universities. He takes over the Latin America/Falklands portfolio, as well as other international areas of responsibility, only a few days before the visit to London early next month of the Argentine Foreign Minister, Mr Carlos Ruckauf. As former Argentine Vice-President, Mr Ruckauf controversially criticised Prince Charles during his 1999 visit to Argentina for supporting Falklands' self-determination.
Falklands pilot to retire as RAF Chief The pilot who led the RAF Harrier attacks from the aircraft carrier HMS Hermes on Argentine ground targets in the Falklands, Air Chief Marshal Sir Peter Squire, is to retire in August next year as Chief of the Air Staff. He was the first front line Falklands serviceman to reach the pinnacle of his profession as head of the Royal Air Force. But he was joined this year by Admiral Sir Alan West, recently appointed First Sea Lord and head of the Royal Navy, whose frigate, HMS Ardent, was bombed and sunk in 1982. After the war, Air Chief Marshal Squire became a friend of Falkland Islander Tim Miller, whose eye was injured in a Harrier attack.
Harold Briley, (MP) London
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