MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Rio Group supports Argentina in Falklands/Malvinas dispute

Heads of State at the XIXth Rio Group summit in Guyana over the weekend approved a resolution backing “Argentina's legitimate rights over the Malvinas”, regarding the sovereignty dispute with the United Kingdom.

The resolution calls for a "fair, peaceful and definitive" solution to the controversy and underlines the regional governments' interest that Argentina and Britain resume negotiations to solve the dispute. The region's support although routine comes at a special moment since this year is the 25th anniversary of the Falklands' conflict. Argentina was represented at the Georgetown meeting by Foreign Affairs minister Jorge Taiana. The resolution recalls United Nations and Organization of American States declarations in support of the Argentine position and underlines the "constructive attitude" of the Argentine government to achieve "through negotiations a definitive solution" for the long standing controversy. The Rio Group was created in 1986 with the purpose of acting as a political debate forum to ensure governance and political convergence in Latinamerica and the Caribbean. Although seen as another bureaucratic regional institution it has in the last two decades helped take the steam from several serious conflicts. Besides Kirchner, Venezuela's Hugo Chavez cancelled at last moment his visit to Guyana. The two neighboring countries have a long territorial dispute going back to colonial times when Georgetown was under British domain. Some of the presidents participating at the meeting included Brazil's Lula da Silva, Chile's Michelle Bachelet and Mexico's Felipe Calderón. Taiana also called for promotion of democracy in the region and support for Haiti. "There's an essential question in promoting defense and solidarity with the fight for democracy in Haiti".