MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentina's protest receives no EU presidency response

The current Luxembourg presidency of the European Union will make “no statements” regarding the Argentine protest motivated in the inclusion of the Falkland Islands, South Georgia, South Sandwich islands in the European Constitution as British Overseas Territories, because EU' position in the matter “has not changed”, according to European diplomatic sources.

The same sources indicated that they could not confirm if the EU had received a protest letter on the issue which was sent last week by the Argentine Embassy in Brussels.

"There will be no official declaration from the EU Luxembourg presidency".

The EU Luxembourg presidency concludes next June.

Argentina has sent protest-letters through its embassies to the 25 EU members complaining the inclusion of the South Atlantic islands as a British Overseas Territory in the Annex II of Title IV, Part III from the EU Constitutional Treaty.

European sources also recalled that the EU treaty was signed last October in Rome by leaders of all 25 EU members and revealed that there had been no Argentine protests until now.

The United Kingdom claim over these territories is nothing new but if they are enshrined in the EU Constitution, Argentina fears that what was traditionally a bilateral dispute could become continental.

"The constitutional treaty addresses the current situation of countries and overseas territories", indicated European sources.

Argentine Foreign Affairs minister Rafael Bielsa had earlier stated that his country totally rejected the inclusion of the disputed territories in the treaty, "we have a dispute; we will wait 40 or 400 years but the Malvinas are Argentine and it will all be worked out. We have to have the same patience as the colonial powers had".

However Mr. Bielsa also mentioned that the EU constitution must be approved by all 25 country members. So far the list includes Greece, Lithuania, Hungary, Slovenia, Spain and Italy and it will become effective only once it's ratified by all 25 members of the EU.