MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Chronicle of a foretold (“Malvinas”) Cristina/PM Brown meeting

Pte. C.Fernandez and PM G. Brown

Argentine president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner and British Primer Minister Gordon Brown are scheduled to hold on Saturday a bilateral meeting in Chile when the Falklands/Malvinas issue will be addressed, on Argentine initiative, but with no surprises or consequences.

According to Argentine sources Mrs. Kirchner will emphasize to PM Brown Argentine sovereignty claims over the South Atlantic islands and insist on the resumption of negotiations following on United Nations resolutions.

However as has been anticipated by the British press travelling with Brown on his South American tour, ahead of the early Saturday meeting in the framework of the Progressive Leaders summit, the Prime Minister “will never discuss” the sovereignty of the Falklands since he lavishes praise on the “proud and strong” 3,000 British inhabitants of the disputed territory.

“There is nothing to discuss from our side” PM Brown was quoted as he flew into Santiago following his Thursday meeting with Brazilian president Lula da Silva.

Argentine diplomatic sources point out that bilateral consideration of the Falklands/Malvinas issue is part of a larger package agreed with the Foreign Office since Britain is hosting in London the G-20 summit, on a very sensitive date for the Argentine calendar, April 2nd, when Argentine forces landed in the Islands in 1982, triggering the South Atlantic conflict.

Argentina, which together with Brazil and Mexico represents Latinamerica at the G20 summit, had insinuated that the issue could be brought up by Mrs. Kirchner in London if she didn’t have a chance to talk about “Malvinas” with PM Brown.

The Prime Minister is concentrated in making G-20, which will see US president Barack Obama’s first European incursion, a success with concrete results and not a collection of “empty promises”.

He has lobbied strongly for a consensus in Europe, United States and now South America and can’t accept any distractions from that goal. Besides it is becoming increasingly clear that he has tied his political future to the G-20 success.

The British press said that Downing Street has no intention of raising the Falkland Islands, but Brown accepts “that Mrs. Kirchner has, for domestic reasons, to restate Argentine sovereignty over the Falkland Islands”.

However “the essential principle has always been that the Islanders should determine the issue of sovereignty for themselves. Let us be clear, our first priority will always be the needs and the wishes of the Islanders” said PM Brown.

The Argentine press meantime revealed that President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner will commemorate the 27th anniversary of April 2nd in London with a frugal ceremony.

A flower wreath will be deposited at the statue of Argentina’s national Liberator, General Jose de San Martin, across from the embassy in Belgrade Square, and later she will read a short message to honour all those fallen during the conflict.

Mrs. Kirchner on late Friday evening met in Viña del Mar with US Vice-president Joe Biden, who is representing the United States at the progressive leaders’ summit and is a special guest of the Chilean government.

The hour long meeting was described by Argentine Foreign Affairs minister Jorge Taiana as “excellent” and “much longer than expected, with much content and many coincidences”.

Mrs. Kirchner’s delegation included Taiana, Argentine ambassador in Washington Hector Timmerman and the Legal and Technical secretary of the presidency, Carlos Zanini. Mr. Biden was accompanied by Dan Restrepo, head of hemispheric affairs in the National Security Council and advisors Latinamerican experts Tomy Blinken and Brian McCon.

After Brown the Argentine president is scheduled to meet on Saturday with Brazil’s Lula da Silva; Spain’s Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero; Chilean host Michelle Bachelet and still not confirmed, with Uruguayan president Tabare Vazquez.

Argentina and Uruguay are not in good political terms because of the ongoing pulp mill controversy and President Vazquez was quoted by the Uruguayan press saying he was “not interested” in meeting with his Argentine counterpart.