MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

FCO insists: no nuclear weapons in Argentine waters

Great Britain reiterated this Sunday that none of the Royal Navy vessels sunk during the 1982 South Atlantic conflict with Argentina carried nuclear weapons.

The statement from a Foreign Office spokesperson follows Argentine president Nestor Kirchner words Saturday evening demanding Britain apologize for having sent vessels armed with nuclear weapons.

The Foreign Office spokesperson refused to comment President Kirchner's demand and insisted that, "I can categorically state that the use of nuclear weapons in the Falkland Islands conflict was never contemplated".

"At that time Royal Navy vessels routinely transported nuclear weapons, but there were no nuclear weapons in Argentine waters", stressed the FCO spokesperson adding that the weapons were unloaded before reaching Argentine waters.

Last Friday a British Ministry of Defence spokesperson confirmed that nuclear weapons were aboard the Task Force Royal Navy vessels sent to the South Atlantic to recover the Falklands from Argentina in 1982, unveiling a well kept twenty year secret.

"We confirm that some nuclear weapons were transported by the Task Force during the Falklands campaign and these were transferred from vessel to vessel for security reasons and to comply with international rules", said the MOD spokesperson.

British and Argentine press have speculated for years that the British frigate "Sheffield" sunk May 4, 1982 could have been carrying nuclear weapons.

"HMS Sheffield" was sunk approximately forty miles west of the Falklands.

Pictures of the time of the sinking show British seamen from the "HMS Sheffield" dressed in what seem to be anti radio-active gear.

Actually it was the insistence of a British newspaper that blew the lid of the tightly kept secret about nuclear weapons during the 1982 conflict with Argentina.

According to London press reports The Guardian had been demanding the British government for over six years information about alleged accidents with nuclear weapons. MOD initially refused but finally the British Parliament Ombudsman ordered the publication of twenty accidents with nuclear weapons which presumably happened between 1960 and 1990.

The ombudsman argument was that if the "weapons were no longer in active service", revealing the accidents meant no "danger for national security".

And among the twenty incidents was the mention to "seven damaged containers" when the nuclear weapons (allegedly depth charges) were transported from one vessel to another in 1982.

However MOD quickly reported that no nuclear weapons were damaged and explained that at the time and until 1993, Royal Navy vessels routinely carried this type of armament.

Late this Sunday Alberto Fernández Argentine Chief of Cabinet, following Mr. Kirchner's demand, said that Britain must not only apologize to Argentina "but also to humankind", for having transported nuclear weapons to the Falklands conflict.

"We've demanded additional information on the issue and we are waiting" underlined Mr. Fernández.