MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

OAS unanimous support for Argentina's Falklands' claim

Taiana during his speech at OAS sumit held in Panama

As has been the rule the 37th Organization of American States Foreign Secretaries summit unanimously approved a declaration in support of Argentina's claim to the Malvinas/Falklands islands while Argentina pounded Britain for its unilateral actions ignoring cooperation understandings.

The OAS meeting this time was held in Panama and the main topic energy, however recent events in Venezuela overshadowed the summit with a strong clash between Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice who walked out of the meeting applauded by the delegates. Argentina's Foreign Secretary Jorge Taiana said that "UK does not cease to carry out unilateral actions contrary to the cooperation convened under the (Falklands/Malvinas) sovereignty formula" and exemplified recalling the awarding of oil exploration and production licences in the disputed area. This attitude contradicts the Argentine/British joint declaration of September 27 regarding activities in the South western Atlantic, and the international community mandate, "forcing Argentina to end such understanding", added the Argentine delegate. Taiana said the issue had been recently addressed by all Latinamerican leaders during the first South American Energy Summit, which approved a presidential declaration supporting Argentina's decision to conclude the 1995 Argentina/UK Joint declaration. Taiana further on said that on the 25th anniversary of the conflict, "I would like to pay respectful homage to all those who gave their lives and efforts in the South Atlantic". But "this (1982) conflict did not alter the legality or nature of the dispute" and this has been recognized by the international community, which has repeatedly called on both sides to resume talks on the issue. Finally Taiana said that for over a year Argentina has repeatedly invited the United Kingdom to maintain an open dialogue over the current situation of all existing provisional understandings, and particularly the context framework: the existence of the Falklands/Malvinas sovereignty dispute and the obligation on both sides to solve it by the resumption of bilateral negotiations, "unfortunately the UK intransigency has not allowed so far this frank and open dialogue". The declaration in support of Argentina's Falklands/Malvinas "legitimate claims" and call for resumption of dialogue and a peaceful solution was presented by the Uruguayan delegate. According to Taiana OAS has passes ten resolutions and 14 declarations in support of Argentina on the Falklands sovereignty dispute.