MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Penguin News Update.
Headlines:
Straw to meet Bielsa: ?no sovereignty talks'; Loligo going well; Drink driver avoids jail; Servicemen's San Carlos to Stanley yomp raises over £1,000.
Straw to meet Bielsa: ?no sovereignty talks'
THE British Foreign Secretary is to discuss Falklands issues with his Argentine counterpart next month, however the Governor says sovereignty is "absolutely not" on the agenda. Foreign Secretary Jack Straw will meet with Argentine Foreign Minister Rafael Bielsa during the United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York in September. His Excellency the Governor said Mr. Straw had decided the General Assembly would be a "good opportunity" to meet Mr. Bielsa, "...largely because Argentina becomes a member of the Security Council on January 1 next year." When asked if the ban on charter flights to the Falklands would be discussed, Mr. Pearce commented, "I should think that a whole range of Falkland's issues are likely to be touched on. I would expect both the Foreign Secretary and Mr. Bielsa to want to raise that issue but obviously the two ministers will be talking about quite a range of issues, not least the forthcoming Security Council business." Mr. Pearce stated that sovereignty of the Falklands will not be discussed by the two. He said, "The issue of sovereignty is not on the table and will not be on the table unless the Falkland Islanders wish it. I don't think anybody has any doubt about what Falkland Islanders' wishes are in that respect and that is to say that the sovereignty issue is not up for discussion in any circumstances. "That is the view of the British Government; (it) is very firmly committed to respecting the wishes of the Falkland Islanders and the principle of self-determination." Spirit of agreements Mr. Pearce said it would be "difficult to disagree" with the disappointment expressed by the British Ambassador in Buenos Aires, Sir Robin Christopher, earlier this week. Addressing an audience of politicians, historians, 1982 next of kin and diplomats, including Santos Goñi, the head of the Malvinas Desk in the Argentine Foreign Affairs Ministry, the British ambassador said treaties should be honored not only in print but in spirit. He was attending a presentation in the Argentine Council for International Relations of the book Argentina-Great Britain: bilateral agreements 1823-2001written by Argentine political analyst and historian Rosendo Fraga. Sir Robin said, "...for the last four years I've done everything possible to keep together the spirit and print. And I've had some modest successes which are reflected in this book. "But lately the print has parted from the spirit, and it will take time to get them together again." Further on, he spoke of joint attempts since 1971 to, "...manage the controversy," working towards ways for Islanders and the continent to, "...to live together and cooperate," and of the "wounds" of1982 which began to be healed with the Joint Declaration of Madrid in 1989. Touching on the July 1999 Joint Statement between Britain and Argentina, Sir Robin said it was the beginning of that necessary "spirit" in any agreement which enabled the progress of both sides involved and, similarly, with the 2001 agreement on flights of private aircrafts to the Islands. However he said the "spirit" has not been present with regard to the Argentine memorial at Darwin. He was referring to last week's cancellation of a visit to the Falklands by the Argentine Families Commission to the Darwin war cemetery. Sir Robin said, "It's a pity, and does not reflect the spirit of any of the agreements." The British ambassador leaves his Argentine post in October. Mr. Pearce said he felt Sir Robin had been an "extremely effective" ambassador. He explained, "There was a very good working relationship between himself and the incumbent in my job (Mr. Donald Lamont), and he has some very significant achievements to his credit. "He was involved in the private flights agreement and, of course, has been very active in the construction of the Argentine memorial at Darwin. "He was a very good and very effective representative of the United Kingdom." (PN/MP)
Loligo going well
CATCHES of loligo squid are continuing "quite well", according to Marine Officer Jon Clark. Mr. Clark said the average catch this week was around 20 tonnes per ship per day. He said some ships had also reported high catches of over 40 tonnes in one day. He said "by and large it's going well...the fishing companies seem pleased so far."
Drink driver avoids jail A YOUNG man who pleaded guilty to two counts of reckless driving and one of drink driving has avoided a prison sentence.
David Triggs (21) received a two year probation order and a three year driving disqualification when he appeared in court this week. Full story on page 3. Servicemen's San Carlos to Stanley yomp raises over £1,000 A TEAM of soldiers from Mount Pleasant has raised over £1,000 for the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital, after completing a gruelling yomp from San Carlos to Stanley, a distance of over 80 miles.
The group took approximately twenty-three and a half hours to complete the walk.
They were met at the finish line, the 1982 memorial in Stanley, by hospital administrator Candy Blackley. More on page 3.
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