MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentine petitioners and Falklands Cllrs. address C24

Argentina's claim over the Malvinas and other South Atlantic islands under British sovereignty was the main purpose of the meeting held on Wednesday between United Nations Secretary General Van Ki-Moon and Argentine Minister of Foreign Affairs Jorge Taiana.

According to the Buenos Aires press Mr. Taiana was received by the Secretary General at his office in the UN building in New York and the Argentine official emphasized the need for the United Kingdom to resume sovereignty negotiations over the Falkland Islands, as successive resolutions from the UN have indicated. "We expressed our strong interest in the good offices" of the Secretary General "to have the United Kingdom comply with the UN mandates", said Taiana following the 45 minutes meeting. "We thanked the Secretary General for his effort and active participation in this task" for the resumption of negotiations. Mr. Taiana visited Bann Ki-moon together with the Argentine ambassador before the UN Jorge Arguello and the head of the Malvinas and South Atlantic Desk in the ministry, Eduardo Airaldi. The Argentine delegation emphasized their country's standing willingness to resume negotiations with the UK for a solution to the sovereignty dispute, and requested that Mr. Ban Ki-moon convey the message to the British government. Mr. Taiana is scheduled to participate on Thursday at the official session of the United Nations Committee on Decolonization, which will address the issue of the Islas Malvinas, South Atlantic islands and surrounding maritime spaces. The Argentine delegation includes two Argentine citizens, descendents of the original settlers of the Malvinas who will be giving testimony before the C24 on Thursday. Two elected Councillors from the Falkland Islands will also address the UN committee. The two Argentines are Evangelina Areguati and Guillermo Clifton who will act as Argentine "petitioners". The Argentine press recalls that last March 29 the UN General Assembly resurfaced the declaration on concession of independence to colonial countries and peoples which states that "all attempt geared to break totally or partially the national unity and territorial integrity of a country is incompatible with the purposes and principles of the United Nations charter".