MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Kirchner in UN calls for Falklands sovereignty talks

Argentina's President Nestor Kirchner claimed before United Nations that Britain has been remissive in complying with the mandates of the General Assembly for the resumption of sovereignty talks on the Falkland Islands.

In his Wednesday speech before the UN General Assembly Kirchner said "we can't but express that the British government continues to be remissive to UN resolutions on the issue", and went on to "demand a constructive dialogue with the United Kingdom".

Although the mention to the Falklands/Malvinas was at the closing of his speech, Kirchner insisted that the "Malvinas issue in under consideration by United Nations. The General Assembly and the Decolonization Committee have defined it as a particular and special case".

"We call on the United Kingdom to comply with the request from the international community" as specifically expressed by the Decolonization Committee (G-24) underlined the Argentine leader.

In his sixteen minutes speech Kirchner strongly defended his administration's human rights policy which is reviewing hundreds of cases previously benefited by amnesty and due obedience legislation and called on the General Assembly to support a Convention jointly sponsored with France for the protection of people against Enforced Disappearance.

"After two decades of democracy in Argentina there's been a paradigm change regarding impunity", said Kirchner and "a thousand cases of crimes against humanity" have been reopened.

President Kirchner also talked about Argentina's economic recovery, criticized the IMF assistance and demanded deep changes in the multilateral credit organization.

"Argentina's achievements were not followed up by the IMF that denied us all assistance, which we obtained by not listening to and contradicting their recommendations", insisted Kirchner.

Further on he demanded a quick resumption of the Doha round global trade negotiations and blasted rich countries for their insistence with farm support and export subsidies policies.

The Argentine president also accused rich countries of polluting the environment and not preserving life by sending "contaminating projects" to developing countries.

"We can't tolerate that more developed countries want to transfer the more contaminating part of their industrial processes to our countries; this is clearly a double standards policy".

Finally Mr. Kirchner equally condemned terrorism, which he described as criminal and unjustifiable actions, and the disproportionate use of force.

Recalling that Argentina suffered several terrorists attacks (the blowing to the ground of Israel's Embassy and the Argentine Jewish Community building), Kirchner insisted that "international cooperation and judicial assistance is essential" to combat terrorism.

"We must put an end to violence and the disproportionate use of force and it's equally important to promote the eradication of poverty and exclusion".