MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

UK expects “positive role” from CFK at London's G20 summit

CFK wants to talk with Brown about the Falklands

Argentine diplomacy is working on plans for President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner to address the Falkland Islands sovereignty claim when she travels to London at the beginning of April, for the G-20 summit on the global financial crisis hosted by PM Gordon Brown.

A British embassy spokesperson in Buenos Aires praised Argentina's contribution to global affairs and said the UK was certain and hopeful President Cristina Kirchner "would play a positive role at the summit". According to Buenos Aires media reports the event is particularly significant since it will coincide with the 27th anniversary of the Argentina forces April 2nd 1982 landing in the disputed Falklands/Malvinas. Precisely this week the Argentine Foreign Affairs Ministry reported that Lord Malloch Brown responsible for the organization of the G-20 summit visited Buenos Aires and met with Foreign Affairs minister Jorge Taiana and Economy minister Carlos Fernández to talk about the coming event. According to Buenos Aires media the Argentine government has requested for a private meeting between Mrs. Kirchner and PM Brown to address the issue of the Falklands/Malvinas dispute, but with no reply so far. Another option under consideration or plan B is for Cristina Kirchner to include the Falklands' claim in her main speech to the summit, following on her recent statements in Spain when she called for reforming global multilateral organizations (IMF, UN, World Bank) since resolutions are only abided by "weak countries". However the G-20 summit is specifically geared to discuss the global financial crisis and "there's not the minimum crevice for such a claim", admit Argentine diplomatic sources, even when theoretically it is a "viable option". In Madrid standing next to Spanish president Rodriguez Zapatero who said three issues must be considered at the G-20 summit (regulation of financial markets; control over fiscal paradises and revamping multilateral credit organizations), Mrs. Kirchner added the "Falklands/Malvinas issue". The issue is further complicated by the fact that Argentina currently has no ambassador in London since the retirement of Federico Mirré last August. The British embassy in Buenos Aires asked to comment on the issue was pragmatic, "this is a multilateral summit with a great number of world leaders and the focus of the debate will be the serious economic problems the world is facing", said a spokesperson. "Argentina is an international partner much valued by the UK and we are certain and hopeful that President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner plays a positive role at the summit", added the spokesperson. So far the only time the Kirchner presidential couple managed to talk directly with a British PM on the Falklands claim was in June 2003 when then President Nestor Kirchner (Cristina's husband) brought up the issue during a ten minute private meeting with Tony Blair. It was Mr. Kirchner's first European tour since taking office and he was in London for the progressive government leaders' summit hosted by PM Blair.