MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Falklands' fisheries: Argentina reiterates warning

The Argentine-United Kingdom (Falkland Islands) South Atlantic Fisheries meeting held in Buenos Aires Wednesday concluded unsuccessfully, according to Argentine sources.

"There was no agreement with the British delegation on adopting the agenda proposed by Argentina with the purpose of analyzing the South Atlantic Fisheries Committee mandate and how it has been affected by a prolonged list of unilateral British decisions", reported the Argentine Foreign Affairs Ministry following the morning meeting.

Two officials from the British Embassy, but "without the usual scientific component" support, participated in the meeting which had been convened by Argentina last October 27, according to information from Palacio San Martin, seat of the Foreign Affairs ministry.

Argentina which claims sovereignty over the Falklands/Malvinas Islands has repeatedly rejected the ten year fishing licences that the Falklands government plans to issue under the new Fisheries Bill.

For Argentina the British decision (President Kirchner's administration refuses to acknowledge or even talk to the Islands government), which has been under elaboration for months, constitutes an "illicit and unilateral long term disposal of fishing resources" in the maritime spaces surrounding the "Malvinas Islands".

Last October Argentina formally protested the awarding of the long term licences and warned that this type of decisions would have a negative impact on fisheries conservation bilateral cooperation in the framework of the SAFC.

In today's release the Kirchner administration warns that it will exercise all actions contemplated in the legal framework applicable to this situation which means "acting upon those companies which exploit fisheries resources in the Argentine Exclusive Economic Zone with out the corresponding authorization".

However, "Argentina will continue with its major efforts to ensure the conservation of fisheries resources in the South Atlantic", underlines the communication.