MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Taiana meets Ban Ki-Moon to insist on Falklands talks

Argentina's Foreign Affaire minister Jorge Taiana

Argentina's Foreign Affaire minister Jorge Taiana is scheduled to meet Monday with United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon when he will reiterate Argentina's “firm interest” in advancing a solution to the Falklands/Malvinas dispute with Great Britain.

The meeting will take place at 15:00 hours New York and will be the first between Taiana and the Korean diplomat Ban Ki Moon who replaced Kofi Annan in the job. According to a release from the Argentine Foreign Affairs ministry, Taiana left Buenos Aires late Sunday and on Monday he will be addressing the Falklands/Malvinas issue, insisting on the Argentine "firm interest" that the Secretary General continue with his "good offices" as recommended by United Nations. Since 1982, United Nations Assembly General and the Special Decolonization Committee or G 24 have recommended Argentina and UK to retake, as soon as possible, bilateral negotiations to solve the sovereignty dispute involving the Falkland Islands, South Georgia, South Sandwich and surrounding maritime spaces. In June 2006 the Falklands/Malvinas issue was last addressed by Taiana with then Secretary General Kofi Annan, a day before the Decolonization committee, as happens every year, called on both governments to renew sovereignty negotiations. The UN insisted on a peaceful solution to the sovereignty dispute.