MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

“UK has no doubts about its sovereignty over the Falklands”

“The United Kingdom has no doubts about its sovereignty over the Falkland Islands and there can be no negotiations on the sovereignty of the Islands unless and until the Islanders so wish”, stated the UN British delegation.

In reponse to remarks from Argentine president Nestor Kirchner and Foreign Affairs minister Rafael Bielsa during last week's high level plenary meetings of the United Nations General Assembly, the office of British permanent representative Sir Emyr Jones Parry KCMG in exercise of the right of reply circulated as document of the General Assembly the following:

"Statement of the delegation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in exercise of the right of reply to the remarks made by the President of the Argentine Republic in the High-Level Plenary Meeting of the General Assembly on 14 September 2005. The British Government attaches great importance to the principle of self-determination as set out in Article 1.2 of the UN Charter and Article 1 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. That principle underlies our position on the Falkland Islands. The elected representatives of the Falkland Islands once again expressed their own views clearly when they visited the United Nations for this year's debate in the UN Committee of 24. They asked the Committee to recognise that they, like any other people, were entitled to exercise the right of self-determination. They reiterated that the people of the Falkland Islands did not wish for any change in the status of the Islands. There can be no negotiations on the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands unless and until such time as the Islanders so wish. The United Kingdom has no doubts about its sovereignty over the Falkland Islands".

Similarly with the oral reply to Mr. Bielsa:

"I am taking the floor in Right of Reply to the remarks just made by His Excellency Rafael Bielsa, Minister of Foreign Relations, International Trade and Worship of the Argentine Republic on the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands. The UK's position on this issue is well known, and was last set out in detail by the UK's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Sir Emyr Jones Parry, in a written right of reply to the statement by His Excellency President Nestor Carlos Kirchner of the Republic of Argentina in the High-Level Plenary session of the General Assembly on 14 September 2005. The United Kingdom has no doubts about its sovereignty over the Falkland Islands. There can be no negotiations on the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands unless and until such time as the Islanders so wish".