MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Falklands: UK tells UN no to sovereignty negotiations

The United Kingdom reiterated it has no doubts about sovereignty over the Falkland Islands and said that there could be no negotiation on the issue until and at such time as the people of the Islands so wished.

The UK delegate and the Cuban representative exchanged opinions during the closing session on Friday of the United Nations Fourth Committee that reports to the UN General Assembly on matters of decolonization. The Cuba delegate said he was concerned that certain administering Powers continued to refuse to cooperate with the Fourth Committee. He also reiterated Cuba's support for Argentina's "legitimate right" in the dispute over the Malvinas/Falkland Islands which were "part of the national territory of the brotherly Latin American country" and he called for a definitive solution as soon as possible. In closing, he urged Member States to continue to work collectively to eradicate the scourge of colonialism for good. The representative of the United Kingdom took the floor in exercise of the right of reply to respond to Cuba's statement. He said his Government's position on the Falkland Islands was well known and had been reiterated in many recent statements. The United Kingdom had no doubt about its sovereignty over the Falkland Islands. Further, there could be no negotiations on that issue until and at such time as the people of the Islands so wished. In response, the representative of Cuba said that his country's position was clear and well known. It fully supported the right of Argentina in the Malvinas dispute. The Malvinas Islands were and would continue to be Argentine. He also reiterated Cuba's support for a fair and negotiated solution to the dispute in the shortest time possible. That solution should take into account the territorial integrity of Argentina, as well as the wishes of the people inhabiting those islands. The Fourth Committee also by a draft decision on the question of Gibraltar proposed that the Assembly should urge the governments of Spain and the United Kingdom "to reach a definitive solution to that question, while listening to its interests and aspirations". It would also welcome the ongoing successful implementation of the first package of measures concluded at the Tripartite Forum for Dialogue on Gibraltar and the shared will to reach new agreements by July 2009.