MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

For Argentina's MOD, Islas Malvinas are Falkland Islands

Argentine MOD Magazie

A major blooper committed by Argetnina's Ministry of Defence official publication has put an end to the South Atlantic sovereignty dispute: the Islas Malvinas are definitively the Falkland Islands and Puerto Argentino is Port Stanley, reports the Buenos Aires press.

The September edition of the Revista de Defensa, (Defence Magazine) in page 9 has a long article under the heading of "The Armed Forces mission in today's Argentina" illustrated with a official map of Argentina where the Malvinas are identified as the Falkland Islands and Puerto Argentino as Port Stanley. What makes it even more embarrasing according to the Buenos Aires press is that the magazine and its contents, particularly in such a sensitive area for the administration of President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, are under the direct supervision and responsibility of Minister Nilda Garré, one of the ruling couple's most trusted officials. Ms Garré actually sponsored the magazine and did the launching of the first number last August, distributed in September. Apparently there will be a second edition of the magazine where the Falklands are the Islas Malvinas. But meantime and for posterity the September edition of the Revista de Defensa from the Argentine Defence ministry officially states that the South Atlantic archipelago is effectively the Falkland Islands and its capital Port Stanley. The Buenos Aires press ironizes that following on the heading of the article and the map, the first mission of the Argentine Armed Forces is "to drop the sovereignty claim over the Malvinas". This is not the first time printers and supervisors let down Argentina's claim over the Falklands: only a few months ago thousands of school books had to be recalled because they also referred to the Islands as Falklands and British territory.