MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentina's next move: Malvinas issue to UN Assembly

Jorge Argüello next Argentine Ambassador before UN

Argentina's next ambassador before the United Nations Jorge Argüello has as his main instruction to move the sovereignty claim over the Falklands/Malvinas Islands to the UN General Assembly as part of a more political approach to the issue by President Nestor Kirchner's administration, according to Buenos Aires press.

The discussion is currently in the area of the UN Decolonization Committee, or Group of 24, which annually drafts a declaration calling on Argentina and Great Britain to resume sovereignty talks over the Falklands following on the UN resolution 2065 of 1965, which recognizes the existence of a sovereignty dispute. "Argüello's intention of taking the dispute to the UN General Assembly will give the issue a greater political voltage since it involves the 192 country members and any favorable vote will show an overwhelming global position", said sources close to Argüello who is federal Deputy and heads the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Lower House. "We need a political man, not so much a technician", according to Argentine political sources. The current ambassador before UN is Cesar Mayoral. Argentine diplomatic sources believe that Argüello's objective is "totally feasible" and recall that until 1988 the Malvinas issue was debated in the General Assembly until 1988 when then President Ricardo Alfonsin decided to concentrate in the Decolonization Committee. "The only thing needed is for a country to propose the inclusion of the issue in the General Assembly's agenda and the motion to be voted by a majority. Undoubtedly the political impact will be most significant". Argüello as head of the Foreign Affairs Committee has been working on alternative ways to address the Falklands/Malvinas issue including contacts at parliamentary level with Westminster, and the Argentine Congress Malvinas Observatory, a discussion group to promote the Malvinas "argentines" cause. The official approval by the Argentine Senate of Argüello's designation as ambassador in the UN should be forthcoming this Wednesday, and apparently there are no objections or obstacles to his posting, reports the Argentine press. Argüello, 51, was born in Cordoba, graduated as an attorney in Buenos Aires University and has been linked to active politics since the return to Argentina of democracy in 1983. He belongs to the ruling Justicialista Party and became elected Councilor of the City of Buenos Aires in 1987 and in 1991 won a seat in the Congressional Lower House. According to his official CV, his areas of interest are international affairs (Malvinas, Mercosur, member of the Parliamentary Union World Peace and Security Standing Commission), finance, drugs and money laundering. Argüello has traveled extensively, was invited several times to the US, the European Union and the UK, having organized the first visit of British MPs to Argentina following the 1982 conflict. Argüello lectured in Belgrano Univesity in the fields of political science, negotiations techniques, Executive and parliament functioning and relations and is a member of the Academic Council at the School of Government. Currently he's writing a thesis for a PhD on Public Policies and Administration at the University of San Andrés.