MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Falklands: MPs learn plenty in a week

TWO visiting MPs have said they would leave the Falklands better able to appreciate the issues affecting Islanders.

Eric Illsley and Gisela Stuart from the Foreign Affairs Committee were in the Islands last week, accompanied by clerk Dr Robin James, and met with a wide range of people in all aspects of government and business. "We've learnt a lot since we've been here and there were some aspects of life in the Falklands we didn't know about at all prior to arrival," said Mr Illsley, adding that they were anxious to get as much information as possible gained from the trip into their report to the Foreign Affairs Select Committee. The Committee is appointed by the House of Commons to scrutinize the Foreign and Commonwealth Office; the report by Mr Illsley and Ms Stuart will deal primarily with the terms of reference for its inquiry into the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's exercise of its responsibilities in relation to the Falkland Islands - including the relationship between Legislative Council and the Governor and between LegCo and the Foreign Office, and the UK's treaties which apply to the Falklands. Mr Illsley said he had anticipated there would be few problems in these areas in the Falklands and that had been borne out. However, some aspects of international treaties were regarded as important by Islanders, he said - the most obvious being the Ottawa Convention on de-mining, and how the UK's obligations disproportionately affect the Falkland Islands. At a public meeting held with the MPs last week, they heard concerns from Islanders about pressure to accept a charter flight for Argentine next of kin, particularly during the visit of Foreign Office Minister Meg Munn. Taking this on board, Mr Illsley said that he and Ms Stuart also intended raising in the UK the development of the air bridge and communications to and from the Islands, including charter flights into the Islands and perhaps extending Lan flights, and whether the UK government can do more to convince Argentina to free up its air space. There is also more to be done with regard to the development of a hydrocarbons industry, he said with issues to be addressed including whether HMG was in favour of development, whether it would give assistance and if it will indicate - as it previously had - what share of revenues it may seek if oil is developed. "We want to look at that and get some answers from HMG about oil exploration and whether that will lead to further development of the Islands," he said. Penguin News