MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Argentine pressure “bound to fail” says Falklands Governor
Giving what will be his last “State of the Nation Address” at the commencement of the budget session of the Falkland Islands Legislative Assembly, retiring Governor, Mr. Howard Pearce CVO delivered two clear messages to the current Argentine administration, as follows:
"In my address a year ago I regretted that I had little positive to say about relations with Argentina. I wish I could say that the situation had improved, but I cannot. If anything, it has got even worse. Difficulties raised by the Argentine side at its last two meetings have prevented the South Atlantic Fisheries Commission from addressing the serious issues of fisheries conservation in the South West Atlantic. Indeed, at the last meeting the two sides were unable even to reach agreement on the agenda and there was no substantive discussion at all. The prospects for the next meeting, due to take place in July, are not encouraging, but I hope I may be proved wrong. Meanwhile the Argentine Government appears to be taking active measures to deter foreign fishing companies with interests in Argentina from seeking licences in Falklands waters, and has threatened reprisals if they do."
"The Argentine Government has taken similar measures to discourage oil exploration companies from continuing their activities around the Falklands ? with conspicuous lack of success, I am pleased to say. Meanwhile there has been no progress on charter flights since the unilateral Argentine decision in November 2003 to refuse permission for charters to the Falklands to overfly Argentine airspace."
" The only issue on which there has been some slow progress has been the feasibility study on the removal from the Islands of the mines which were laid by the Argentines in 1982. Representatives of the UK and Argentine Governments have been meeting regularly to agree arrangements to enable a study funded by the Argentine Government to take place in the next austral summer."
"It is understandable that many Falkland Islanders should interpret Argentine actions as a policy of de facto economic sanctions against the Islands, designed to do damage to the Islands' economy and to put pressure on the Islanders to agree to negotiations on sovereignty."
"I have this message for the Argentine Government: if that is your aim, it is bound to fail. Pressure will prove counterproductive. Falkland Islanders are united in their wish to remain British; they find inconceivable the idea that with their strong historical, linguistic, cultural and family links with Britain, they should ever opt to change their status and join a country with which they share neither history, nor culture, nor language, nor economic links, nor political system, a country moreover, which carried out a military invasion of the Islands within the living memory of the majority of Islanders and continues to pursue a claim which disregards the clearly expressed wishes of the Falklands' community."
"Islanders know that the commitment of the UK Government to respect the wishes of the Islanders and to defend the Islands is rock solid."
"I have another message for the Argentine Government; it is that we want to be good neighbours. We live in the same region, we share interests in common especially in the sustainable management and conservation of the marine resources of the South-West Atlantic. It makes sense to work together to our mutual benefit, but we can only do so on the basis of equality and mutual respect."
These sentiments were later echoed by a number of members of the Falkland Islands Legislative Council (LegCo) during the speeches for adjournment.
Councillor Mike Summers, celebrating his tenth anniversary as a councillor said that he wished to put it on record that what he called "the antics and activities" of the Argentine Government would have little or no effect. The Falkland Islands, he said, would continue to do what they needed to do and it was the Argentine Government that would have to bear responsibility, internationally, for any failures in the conservation of the natural resources of the South-West Atlantic.
John Fowler (Mercopress) Stanley
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