MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

“Día de Malvinas” commemorations.

Argentine President Nestor Kirchner will be participating Saturday April 2 in the “Day of Malvinas” commemoration in the historic Patricios Infantry Regiment in downtown Buenos Aires.

April 2 is the day in 1982 when an advance party of Argentine marines landed near Stanley as part of a massive operation to capture the Falkland Islands, triggering an armed conflict with the United Kingdom.

Originally President Kirchner was scheduled to head an open commemoration in Monte Caseros, province of Corrientes, but to avoid possible protests from Malvinas veterans it was decided to move the main activity to a closed regiment in Buenos Aires, reports the local press.

Malvinas veterans have been demanding the Argentine government make effective long time promised compensations and/or pensions, dating back to previous administrations. Actually it's the Kirchner administration that has been involved in collecting data for a census of veterans and next of kin of servicemen killed during the conflict, including information on their living and income conditions.

According to the Buenos Aires press President Kirchner could on Saturday make a pension for veterans' announcement.

Besides the Patricios Regiment and Monte Caseros events, in every Argentine province there will be a "Dia de Malvinas" commemoration organized by local authorities and veterans associations.