MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Rex Hunt warning about Argentina.
The former Governor of the Falkland Islands, Sir Rex Hunt, has expressed concern that the Argentine President, Nestor Kirchner, has made it clear that his government will ignore the Falkland Islanders but continue the campaign for sovereignty negotiations with Britain.
In view of the Argentine Government's attitude, he warned members of the Falkland Islands Association at their annual general meeting in London (on Saturday, 8th December) that this is no time to relax in their campaign of support for Falkland Islands self-determination. He called for continuing efforts to increase Association membership, which now exceeds 1,000 for the first time.
He said it not surprising that alarm bells rang in the Falkland Islands when Aerolineas Argentinas announced plans to commence a twice weekly air link between Buenos Aires and the Falklands. Sir Rex said: "Despite an unequivocal rejection by Councillors, more recent reports indicate that Argentina has refused permission for a second weekly flight by Lan Chile from Punta Arenas to the Falklands, on the grounds that any more flights should be by an Argentine airline.
"Islanders were worried when they heard that the British ambassador in Argentina had been to the Argentine Foreign Ministry and discussed ?bilateral subjects', including cooperation in the South Atlantic. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office have not denied this, but have assured us that it is for the Councillors to decide which air links they want with the mainland and that no decisions will be made without their consent".
Presenting his annual report, Sir Rex Hunt thanked Baroness Thatcher for becoming Patron of the Association and congratulated the Falkland Islands Government representative in London, Miss Sukey Cameron, on her award of the MBE for "public service to the Falkland Islands", with which she was recently presented by the Prince of Wales at Buckingham Palace.
Plea for Argentina's co-operation He recalled her plea earlier this year to President Kirchner "to initiate an era of cooperation in which Argentina and the Falkland Islands could live as neighbours ? if only Argentina would drop its sovereignty claim. Regrettably", Sir Rex said," her plea seems to have fallen upon deaf ears".
Sir Rex said the Foreign Office Minister for Latin America and the Falkland Islands, Mr Bill Rammell, has assured the Association that sovereignty would not be on the agenda at any meetings with the new Argentine government. He reiterated this to Councillors on his first visit to the Falkland Islands in November.
In a tribute to Commodore Michael Clapp CB (Royal Navy), who was the Association's guest at last year's, Sir Rex described him as "one of the unsung heroes of the Falklands War, scarcely mentioned in the popular press but in charge of all the ships taken up from trade and responsible for all the amphibious operations".
The meeting stood for a minute's silence in tribute to a Falklands' supporter and former Stanley resident, Brian John Paul, who died in September. His partner, Annabelle Spencer, who attended the meeting, continues to run their Falklands' shop in Wells, in Somerset, and is to carry on organising the annual Falklands Exhibition in Croyden. To show the Association's appreciation, she was to be an Honorary Member of the Association.
Sir Rex also paid tribute to Committee member Geoff Moir, a 1939 RAF war hero, whom Sir Rex described as a dedicated Falklands supporter who continues to devote much of his time to the Falklands cause, with 107 illustrated talks this year.
Sir Rex Hunt concluded: "We ended our report to the AGM last year with the hope that the present British Government would learn its lesson from Gibraltar. This appears to have happened, thanks to the support given to Chief Minister Peter Caruana by thousands of good people. As we said in the last sentence of our latest Newsletter editorial, "Evil is apt to triumph when good men do nothing".
Harold Briley, London
Top Comments
Disclaimer & comment rulesCommenting for this story is now closed.
If you have a Facebook account, become a fan and comment on our Facebook Page!