MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Malvinas G 24 debate: Argentina's foreign policy “inconsistent”

New Argentina UN ambassador Arguello with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

Argentina?s lack of coherence and “inconsistent” foreign policy has been one of the major obstacles in making effective the Malvinas islands sovereignty claim, admitted outgoing Argentine ambassador before United Nations, Cesar Mayoral in a Tuesday interview with Buenos Aires daily Clarin.

Later this week Argentine Foreign Affairs minister Jorge Taiana will be addressing the G 24 Decolonization Committee, --as well as Falkland Islands delegates--, but according to Mayoral "Argentines must not interpret the Malvinas issue as a football match with Maradona scoring a goal and we?re the winners". Argentina will only achieve a solution to its claim ?as long as it perseveres diplomatically and when Great Britain becomes aware that because of the Malvinas conflict she has a bad relation with whole of Latinamerica and is loosing businesses?, underlined Mayoral who is returning to Argentina after two and a half years before the UN, presiding over the Security Council on two occasions. And why inconsistency? ?We?ve gone from wanting to recover the Islands by fire and sword to attempt seducing the Islanders with whinny pooh gifts. (President) Menem even slept in Buckingham Palace which means we?ve rolled from one extreme to another. Argentina needs doing some self criticism because whether you share or not what others did, for the rest of the world, Argentina is only one?, explained Mayoral. To strengthen Argentina?s position ?the diplomatic course must be continued with coherence. We Argentines are too anxious and that in foreign policy always has a cost. We are facing the wisest of all colonial powers in retaining colonial territories? said Mayoral who added Malvinas is a not a football match with Maradona scoring a goal. Clarín then asks why since diplomatic relations were established with Britain in 1989, Argentina never again presented a resolution before the United Nations General Assembly claiming Malvinas. ?Word has it that it was all part of the agreement reached in Madrid on that year. Most certainly Ambassador Lucio Garcia del Solar will deny that?. And what about attempting again with a General Assembly resolution? ?It?s a major diplomatic decision because it would affect relations with Great Britain. The umbrella (which protects the Malvinas sovereignty discussion) is full of holes. But with a resolution it would be the end of it. Besides it?s not easy to muster 128 votes to have it approved. We?d have Europe and countries of Africa and Asia, former British colonies, voting against or abstaining. Maybe Spain would accompany, because of Gibraltar. We?d have to conquer the Russians and the Chinese?? So, ?we can return to the Assembly and present the issue with more strength (but no resolution). We?ve discussed it with Foreign Secretary Taiana and previously with Bielsa. It?s an assessment which the political power must consider taking into account other factors?, explained the outgoing ambassador. And which are these factors? ?We must take into account what happens at the World Bank, in the Paris Club, with investments in gas and oil. Let?s not forget Britain is a world power?. So, is their a solution to the Malvinas claim? ?Argentina will achieve a solution as long as she perseveres and when Britain becomes aware that because of the Malvinas conflict she?s having a bad relation with the whole of Latinamerica and is loosing business?, concluded Mayoral. The outgoing ambassador was replaced by Jorge Argüello, a more political character, former president of the Lower House Foreign Affairs Committee and sponsor of the Malvinas Observatory office in the Argentine Congress.