MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Falklands Association membership drive.
The Falkland Islands Association has paid tribute to its active Stanley Committee for its impressive fund-raising and unremitting support as the Association passed its immediate target of enrolling 1,000 members backing Islanders' self-determination.
The tribute is contained in the Association's November Newsletter, which explains that the Association brings together those who support the continuing freedom of the people of the Falkland Islands.
Its Constitution states that its objectives are: "To assist the people of the Falkland Islands to decide their own future for themselves without being subjected to pressure direct or indirect from any quarter".
The Association is led by its Chairman, the former Governor at the time of the 1982 invasion, Sir Rex Hunt. Its Patron is Baroness Thatcher, the Prime Minister who ordered the Task Force to liberate the Islands; and its President is former Foreign Secretary, Lord Hurd.
The Association's Vice Presidents include General Peter de la Billiere, who commanded Britain's Special Forces in 1982 and British Forces in the First Gulf War in 1991, and is a former Commander of British Forces in the Falkland Islands; Sir Cosmo Haskard, a former Governor who championed the Islanders in thwarting earlier Argentine attempts to gain sovereignty; and a stalwart member of the Stanley Committee, Mrs Velma Malcolm.
Here is the article inviting new members to join: 1,000 Strong ? Come and Join Us! The Falkland Islands Association is delighted to report a significant milestone in expanding its, which has this year exceeded 1,000, the target our Chairman, Sir Rex Hunt, set two years ago. Most are UK members but there are also more than 100 overseas.
We have recently welcomed new members who were born or who have relatives in the Falkland Islands, former members of the Armed Forces who have served there in the 19892 Task Force and since, including several Commanders, former officials who have served in the Falkland Islands Government, a former Church Minister, tourists and others. All subscribe to our main aim ? to defend the Islanders' right to self-determination.
Now we wish to go from strength to strength and add to our membership, in Britain and in the Islands, to support the continuing freedom of the Islanders to live under the British flag and their rejection of Argentina's sovereignty claim.
The Falkland Islands Government (FIG) supports us financially and has its own office in London, tirelessly lobbying on behalf of the Islanders.
What we do With FIG's support, the Association plays its own significant supportive role. It maintains close links with many other organisations interested in the Falkland Islands, and with its own contacts in the Islands, not least its indomitable Stanley Committee. This committee is a valuable sounding board for Falkland Islands' opinion and provides outstanding financial support by voluntarily raising funds for the Association. Leading members of the Association regularly visit the Islands.
Argentina's activities are ceaselessly monitored as part of the Association's surveillance of political and press activity which may undermine Falkland Islanders' interests. It takes appropriate action to counter such threats, seeking meetings with ministers or officials, and rebutting hostile, inaccurate or misleading reports. Executive Committee members recently met the Governor, Mr Howard Pearce, and the Minister for Latin America, Mr Bill Rammell.
The Association's Newsletter is free to members and sent to many other influential people such as Members of Parliament and Foreign Embassies to keep them informed about Falklands issues, including political, social and economic activity, wildlife, tourism, education and other topics, as well as Argentina's actions.
Unwavering support for freedom The Association has provided unwavering support to the Islanders in good times and bad, in peace and in war, and especially in periods of crisis when it looked as if the British Government might waver in the face of Argentine demands.
Argentina, under its new government, has predictably renewed and intensified its claim to the Falkland Islands, which it relentlessly pursues diplomatically despite its defeat militarily.
It is as important as ever that the Islanders should have a strong voice in Britain to make sure their just cause never goes by default.
So please join us. You'll find a membership application form at the back of this Newsletter, as well as the names of our officials. And you can learn more from our website: www.fiassociation.co.uk Harold Briley -London
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