MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentina “rejected” Lan Chile's request for charter flights.

The Argentine government recently rejected a Lan Chile three charter flights to the Falkland Islands request for the coming summer season 2004/05, claims Buenos Aires daily Clarín in this Friday' edition.

According to Clarín the Punta Arenas-MPA charter flights were planned for December, January and February, the peak of the cruise vessels season in the South Atlantic.

However President Nestor Kirchner's administration confirmed its policy of strictly abiding to the July 1999 agreement and conditioned charter flights to advance in negotiations allowing Argentine commercial companies to fly directly to the Falklands.

Last season, contrary to previous years the Argentine government cancelled most charter flights to the Falklands and only allowed a few after a meeting between Argentine Foreign Affairs minister Rafael Bielsa and Foreign Office minister Bill Rammell.

Clarín claims that in the February Bielsa-Rammell meeting it was also agreed to establish four direct flights from the continent but involving an Argentine commercial airline. However the proposal "was rejected by Islanders", and London then proposed an "open skies" policy. But it was Buenos Aires that in early March turned down the offer fearing Islanders would privilege international airlines over Argentine companies even if fares were cheaper.

The proposal "was not considered satisfactory" by Argentina and two months have gone by, "without any further proposal", reports Clarin.

On Thursday the Argentine government made public Decree 369/04 authorizing Aerolíneas Argentinas to operate commercial flights to Falklands, as was done previously with Lineas Aereas Federales, LAFSA.

The British Embassy in Buenos Aires is quoted saying that "there are agreements for Lan Chile regular flights to the Falklands. These flights once a month call in Rio Gallegos. There is also an agreement covering private flights. The UK is waiting for a reply to the charter flights between the continent and Islands proposal. There are no plans for other regular flights".