MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

First Argentine president to commemorate in London, Falklands 1982 landing

A flowers wreath in London to honour Malvinas’s veterans

An Argentine president headed for the first time a ceremony in London commemorating the 27th anniversary of the Argentine April 2 landing in the Falkland Islands which triggered in 1982 the South Atlantic conflict with the United Kingdom.

The sober ceremony on Thursday afternoon with President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, several ministers, members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and delegations of Malvinas veterans specially invited, took place at the Argentine embassy.

Following the laying of a floral wreath at the San Martin statute in Belgrave square, Mrs. Kirchner crossed to the embassy and in a short message that was transmitted on Argentine national television, reaffirmed “once again our sovereign rights over our Malvinas islands” and described the claim for the Islands as “non renounceable”.

She also paid tribute to all combatants that lost their lives in the conflict, “the dead in combat don’t have nationalities”, and looking to the Malvinas veterans said “you are a true honour for Argentina”, because you fought for national sovereignty as officers, non commissioned officers or soldiers and “fulfilled your mission with honour”.

According to the Argentine calendar April 2 is the Day of the Veterans and Fallen in Malvinas.

Further on Mrs. Kirchner said that the Malvinas sovereignty claim was not mere patriotism “but an axis of rights and titles which belong to Argentina”.

“For the world order to be different it’s necessary to abide International Law and it is necessary that all countries, no matter their hierarchy, respect International Law and United Nations resolutions; that’s the only way to build world peace”.

The Argentine president also made reference to the particular events of this April 2, coincidences and what she described as the “corsi e ricorsi” of history, since it was mere chance that she was in London for that very significant date and commemoration.

Mrs. Kirchner (together with Brazil and Mexico) represented Latinamerica in the G-20 leaders’ summit to address world recession hosted by British Prime Minister on that April 2.

Furthermore on April 2, in Buenos Aires, at that very moment tens of thousands of Argentines spontaneously took to the streets for the funeral of former president Raul Alfonsin, the first freely elected leader in 1983, after years of military rule.

Mr. Alfonsin is considered a pivotal figure in helping pave the way for democracy and human rights in Argentina, as well as an icon of peace and integration for the region.

He set the foundations for cooperation with Chile and changed distrust with Brazil, for a strategic alliance based on Mercosur.

Alfonsin was mourned in the Argentine congress and thousands of Argentines queued to honour him. A former Brazilian and former Uruguayan presidents were invited to speak at the funeral ceremonies.

“On April 2 the Argentine people are paying their last respects to the first elected president when the return of democracy (in 1983) which was launched following (the defeat of the military regime in) Malvinas”, recalled Mrs. Kirchner.

Mrs. Kirchner decreed that Mr. Alfonsin funeral be given all the honours of acting president.

“I don’t believe in coincidences or chances, but history has its ways”, said the Argentina president. “It is a remarkable April 2”.