MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Bielsa: no de-escalation of conflict situation

Argentine Foreign Affairs Secretary Rafael Bielsa emphasized today that even if the sovereignty conflict over the Falklands takes 400 years, “we'll have 400 years of patience, but the Islands will be returned to Argentina”.

During a visit Thursday morning to the Memorial in honour of Argentine servicemen killed in the 1982 South Atlantic war, Mr. Bielsa insisted that the "conflict situation" with Great Britain will not cease until the Islands are returned to Argentine territory adding that there will be no gesture from the Argentine government to "de-escalate" the claim.

Mr. Bielsa met with members of the Committee of Relatives of Argentine servicemen fallen in Malvinas at the Ezeiza airport grounds where the Memorial to be shipped next month to the Falklands is displayed.

Aeropuertos Argentinos 2000 the company belonging to Argentine businessman Eduardo Eurnekian, which helped finance the Memorial project announced that the fifteen twelve tons stone blocks to be transported to the Falklands will be shipped from Argentina between February 8/10 and five later should be unloaded in the Islands.

Saturday February 7 Argentine architect Carlos D'Aprile the main designer of the cenotaph is scheduled to arrive in the Islands to monitor the work of AWG, the British construction company contracted for the assembling of the Memorial to be erected in the Argentine cemetery in Darwin.

Regarding the non authorization for charter flights to cross Argentine air space, conditioned to the insistence that Argentine commercial airlines fly from the continent to Falklands, Mr. Bielsa revealed that after five months of low key negotiations with Britain, "we couldn't reach an agreement", therefore there will be "no more non regular flights" from third countries to the Islands.

As to relations with Britain in the Falklands issue, the Argentine official said that "sometimes they are better and sometimes a little worse".

"Many times, London reflects the Islands' Councillors unflinching positions which are a mix of feelings and politics".

However Mr. Bielsa admitted that flights to the Falklands from Argentina "is a matter which in a sense is symbolic", but does not involve sovereignty talks.

"We're not discussing sovereignty; we do this at other forums", concluded Mr. Bielsa.