MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Kirchner's plea 'comical if not so sad' says Summers
Councillor Mike Summers Comical if it were not so sad for those involved” is how a Falklands councillor has described the Argentine President's call upon Britain to allow Argentine next of kin to visit the Falklands by charter flight rather than by sea.
Councillor Mike Summers told Mercopress,"It is almost comical that Cristina Kirchner is now appealing to Great Britain to put pressure on us to fix a problem that is of Argentina's making. "She has it at her fingertips to give a presidential decree to lift the ban on charter flights and then it would be over." Asked why, therefore, he thought Mrs. Kirchner had made the plea, Councillor Summers said, "It is a constant ploy of Argentina to try and set the Falklands aside from their bilateral relationship with the UK. A previous Minister with responsibility for the Falklands, Bill Rammell, always made it clear that Falklands foreign policy and British foreign policy are one." The Falkland Islands Government recently held a planning meeting with representatives of the Police, the Public Works Department, the RAF Base at Mount Pleasant, the Tourist Board and others to discuss the logistics of an Argentine next-of-kin visit by sea. During the meeting it was noted that even by combining all bus and coach seating available (including buses belonging to the tourist board and the Royal Air Force) only a total of around 500 seats could be found. The next-of-kin visit is likely to involve 800 persons. Councillor Summers said, "it would be a huge logistical exercise even by sea let alone by air." He indicated that by air it would be virtually impossible as the Falklands has no facility to house or feed 800 extra people, and the air terminal alone can only shelter 200 persons on arrival. By Lisa Johnston – SeAled PR - Stanley
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