MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Fresh beginning for HMS Endurance in Ushuaia

For the first time in over thirty years the Royal Navy Ice Patrol HMS Endurance called Monday in Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego and Captain Nick Lambert said he hoped it signalled a fresh beginning for Argentine and British nationals.

"This is a most historic visit for us since HMS Endurance hasn't called in Ushuaia for over thirty years", said Captain Lambert to the local press after meeting with Tierra del Fuego province officials in Ushuaia Government House.

"We hope it's the beginning of a new relation between Argentines and British", he added.

On Tuesday morning a delegation from HMS Endurance together with Argentine representatives are scheduled to hold a joint ceremony honoring the fallen on both sides during the Falkland Islands war.

The ceremony will take place in the Plaza Islas Malvinas at 11:00 local time at the foot of the Heroes Monument.

However the event has generated some criticism from Argentine Malvinas veterans' organizations.

"We're against this acknowledgement because we're not allowed to do something similar in Argentine (Falklands') territory", argued Jose Aranibar president of the Rio Grande Veterans organization.

Mr. Aranibar added that his organization rejects the homage because the next of kin of the fallen "can't even cry next to the graves of their loved ones".

But Tierra del Fuego Coordination Minister Enrique Vallejos said the ceremony will be "most emotive" particularly when the British pay tribute to the Argentine fallen in the 1982 war.

"This is undoubtedly a historic visit", highlighted Minister Vallejos.

HMS Endurance Captain Lambert and Minister Vallejos held a meeting in Government House where he was also introduced to the Silvia Beban Secretary General of Government House and Rear Admiral Guillermo Estevez, head of the Austral Naval Base.

Captain Lambert explained that icebreaker HMS Endurance belongs to a fleet of three vessels operating in the Antarctic, supplying seven British Scientific bases and undertaking hydrographic and environmental tasks.

"It's a joint operation with several other countries involved in the conservation of the marine and Antarctic environment".

HMS Endurance is scheduled to leave Ushuaia next Thursday and head for Antarctica where she will be met by the Argentine icebreaker "Almirante Irizar" for joint scientific research tasks, reports the Tierra del Fuego press.