MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Hawks and doves exchange views at Malvinas seminar.
The debate on the role of diplomacy in the Malvinas / Falkland Islands dispute at the two day seminar on “The Malvinas in the South American Union” at the Foreign Ministry this morning, billed as “The Malvinas Question and the Transitory Understanding since 1989”, served to underscore the many differences that exist in Argentine society vis-à-vis handling the dispute.
Speaking first, Ambassador Eduardo Airaldi if the Foreign Ministry's Malvinas Department, neatly presented a detailed report on the 1989 Madrid Agreements analyzing its impact on fishing, oil, air links and landmines.
The second speaker, veteran nationalist leader Alberto Gonzalez Arzac, said he would be speaking "from the heart" and proceeded to criticize the Transitory Understanding of 1989, popularly refered to as the "sovereignty umbrella" under which bilateral progress between Argentina and Britain could be achieved by putting the dispute of sovereignty under an umbrella which ensured that anything agreed did and could not affect each party's claim to sovereignty.
Gonzalez Arzac argued that while the umbrella had been a good idea in 1989 it had gone on to last too long and have become a "a tool under which Britain unilaterally continued consolidating its sovereignty over the disputed islands".
In closing Gonzalez Arzac reminded audience that in the guarani language the Spanish word for umbrella meant "a crown" adding that in his view the umbrella over the sovereignty dispute had only helped to safeguard Argentina's claim for a short period of time but that for many years it has mainly served the British "crown" by keeping Argentina at bay while consolidating British sovereignty in the islands.
Defining the ten years during which late Foreign Minister Guido Di Tella carried out his so called "charm offensive " towards islanders as sometimes ridiculous Gonzalez Arzac went on to slam the Foreign Ministry for what he defined as "a lack of firmness of Argentine diplomacy" in pursuing the sovereignty dispute.
Speaking from the floor former Peronist (now turned Socialist) National Deputy Mario Cafiero queried Airaldi over the lack of information provided by the Foreign Ministry to Congress and reminded the audience that he had presented a project in Congress calling for the impeachment of Foreign Minister Rafael Bielsa. Cafiero also queried Airaldi over current policies on oil in the South Atlantic.
The day's proceedings opened with a brief reference made by historian Enrique Oliva to the recovery of the City of Buenos Aires from British forces on 12 August 1806. Oliva described how an local militia of 8.000 men under Santiago Liniers had defeated a British force headed by Sir Home Popham and General William Carr Beresford.
Oliva recalled that when it was announced in London that Buenos Aires had fallen to British forces an announcement was made using the words "rejoice, rejoice, rejoice" the same turn of phrase used 176 years later by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher to mark the recovery of South Georgia.
Nicholas Tozer ? Buenos Aires
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