MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Support for counteracting Falklands' lobby in London

An Argentine Deputy from Tierra del Fuego said she fully supports the Argentine Foreign Affairs policy of reinforcing diplomatic presence in London to counteract the influence of the Falkland Islands lobby.

"As a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the Lower House I fully support the federal government initiative of reinforcing the diplomatic representation in London. The goal is to be in better discussion and negotiation conditions to claim sovereignty over our Islands", underlined Ms. Rosana Bertone in Buenos Aires.

Apparently the Argentine Foreign Affairs ministry is committed to counteract the influence of the so called "Islanders lobby" in London.

"The idea is that not only the Islands representatives make their voice heard, particularly when they are characterized by a hostile and not very constructive speech. Besides our government has determined, and I wholly share the strategy, that the only valid dialogue on the Malvinas issue is with the United Kingdom, and this decision points that way", added Ms. Bertone.

Regarding Sir Lawerence Freedman recent book, "The official history of the Falklands' campaign" and a possible British invasion of Argentine Tierra del Fuego during the 1982 conflict, Deputy Bertone said it was strictly a British version of the conflict, and "first of all this should be checked with the Argentine version".

Anyhow and "if the hypothesis was correct, as a national of Tierra del Fuego I strongly repudiate the mere idea of such an action".

As to Chile's collaboration with Britain during the 1982 conflict, Ms. Bertone recalled it was under the regime of dictator Pinochet, "and it seems unnecessary to make too many considerations; the situation is completely different".

"Chile now a day is a reliable ally of Argentina, bilateral relations are strong and so is mutual trust".

Finally Ms. Bertone highlighted Chilean president Ricardo Lagos' gesture of sending Argentine president Nestor Kirchner all the proofs, previously remitted by British Primer Minister Tony Blair, in advance of the official launching of the Sir Lawrence Freedman' book.