MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Cllr Summers thanks the UK's UN Amb, John Sawers

Cllr Mike Summers

COUNCILLOR Mike Summers said he would like the House to send its formal thanks and congratulations to the UK's UN Ambassador in New York, John Sawyer, who, with his team, denied an attempt by Argentina and Spain to propose in the United Nations 4th Committee an amendment, which would have denied the right of self-determination to those countries, where there is a sovereignty conflict.

The defeat of this amendment by a majority of about 60 to 40 was, said Cllr Summers, "a tremendous result," which supported the view that has been reiterated year on year in LegCo, that the right to self determination is a universal right, that can't be compromised. Cllr Summers declared that on no occasion had it ever been said in the United Nations that the Falkland Islands should be restricted in its development, either democratically or economically and concluded: "The view that the Argentines would like to put forward that the Falklands don't have that right to continue development without their permission is utter nonsense. They have wasted something like 26 years now in navel gazing and wasted protests over the issue of self determination for the people of the Falklands. " It's time that they moved on and understood that the world will not tolerate bullies and will not tolerate people who simply go land grabbing just to satisfy their own internal problems," he said. ConstitutionAccepting praise from his fellow councillors as Chair of the Select Committee on the Constitution, Councillor Mike Summers said that it had been a long process, "but actually a very enjoyable and important one." The new Falkland Islands Constitution was passed by the Privy Council earlier this month and will come into effect on January 1, 2009. Cllr Summers expressed the hope that the Constitution would be of benefit to the community in the future and that it would not be another 14 years before it was revised again. The intention was that it should be a live document and be continually reviewed, he said. Penguin News