MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Malvinas victims' relatives to fly to islands next March.

The inauguration of the monument has been delayed due to strained diplomatic relations between Argentina and Britain last year.

A group of relatives of Argentine servicemen who died in the 1982 Malvinas war will travel in March to the disputed South Atlantic islands to inspect the monument to the fallen Argentine soldiers to be inaugurated at the Darwin Argentine cemetery.

The Diarios y Noticias news agency reported yesterday that, after months of delays, the governments of Argentina and Britain have agreed for the group to travel on March 12.

The report indicated that 22 relatives, a priest and an interpreter will spend a week on the islands. They will travel in a private plane loaned by businessman Eduardo Eurnekian, who is also likely to travel to the islands.

Argentina and Britain went to war over the islands on April 2, 1982, when Argentina's then military dictatorship invaded the islands, which have been under British rule since 1833. Over 1,000 servicemen died in the 10-week conflict, 649 of them were Argentines.

Argentina is calling on Britain to discuss the sovereignty of the islands and the United Nations decolonization committee has backed the country's position. But Britain has said that it will stick to the principle of self-determination of the islanders, who tell whoever wants to listen that they want to be British.

The Darwin cemetery monument has been ready for inauguration for over eight months. But the diplomatic relations between Argentina and Britain strained last year following President Néstor Kirchner's decision not to allow extra charter flights from the Chilean town of Punta Arenas to fly over Argentine air space to reach the islands. The Kirchner government wants the British government to instead allow for flights to reach the islands from mainland Argentina. The row has delayed the inauguration of the monument.

The delegation flying to Malvinas on March 12 will meet with local authorities to discuss the way the monument's maintenance will be carried out. Reports indicate the islanders are willing to leave the maintenance up to an commission of relatives of fallen Argentine soldiers. If that is agreed upon, the relatives would have to fly to the islands on a regular basis.(BAH)