MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

UK reiterates Falklands right to self determination

The Organization of American States meeting in Santo Domingo for its annual assembly called Tuesday on Argentina and the United Kingdom to resume Malvinas/Falkland Islands sovereignty negotiations, but the British Embassy in Buenos Aires said the decision belongs to the Islanders.

Earlier in the day Argentina's Foreign Affairs minister Jorge Taiana claimed Britain has ignored the "successive calls (for negotiations) from international forums" adding that "UK unilateral actions" have estranged the possibilities of an agreement.

However a British Embassy spokesperson in Buenos Aires said the UK position is well known: "we will not negotiate on the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands unless and until the Islanders wish us to do so". Furthermore the UK is "awaiting Argentine proposals on a number of areas to improve things. We believe the way forward is to make bilateral agreements work to the benefit of all".

The OAS resolution presented by the Brazilian delegation, unanimously approved and acclaimed insists that "the governments of Argentina and the United Kingdom must begin as soon as possible negotiations over the disputed sovereignty", and expresses its "satisfaction with Argentina's willingness to continue exploring for a peaceful solution to the controversy".

Taiana argued before the 36th OAS annual assembly that the "UK has not ceased to execute unilateral actions which introduce modifications to the situation in the Islands", and this persistent British attitude "has estranged sides" causing "cooperation and provisional understandings" for a rapprochement to fail.

"This prolonged lack of progress must be of concern" for OAS and the decolonization process perspective added Taiana.

From Buenos Aires the British Embassy spokesperson underlined that the Falklands are not a colony. The UK is only responsible for matters of defence and foreign policy. All other decisions are taken and financed by the democratically elected Falkland Islands Government".

Equally important "the UK believes in the principle of self determination as set out in the Charter of the UN. To force this group of people to change their government against their will would be morally unacceptable"".