MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Falklands Next of kin visit “abused”
THE agreement on the Lan Flight carrying Argentine next of kin to the Falkland Islands has been, “…abused by the other side,” stated Councillor Mike Summers at a debriefing for local media today. Read full article
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Disclaimer & comment rulesLike always Mike Summers find excuses to keep Argentinian family members out of Malvinas, and not allowing them to visit the graves of their family members, shame on you and go back to Britain where you really belong, Malvinas is part of Argentina and South America not UK nor Europe thousands of miles away.
Aug 25th, 2009 - 05:59 am - Link - Report abuse 0As someone who knows and enjoys both Argentina and the Islands, I find Marcos's xenophobia puzzling. After all, Mike Summers, as outspoken as he might be, is Island-born. Might Summers as easily suggest Marcos return to Spain, Italy, or whatever other country his ancestors might have come from?
Aug 25th, 2009 - 07:39 am - Link - Report abuse 0No, its the Argentine Government who has interfered with the trip to make grand standing politics in Argentina, with no thought or compassion for the families involved. It was the FIG who found a way to break the deadlock over this visit and it was the FIG who has always made it possible for the families to visit. The FIG doesn't find excuses to keep the families out of the Falklands, if it wanted to it could simply block them, it has been sensitive in this matter and facilitated the visit. As usual the Argentine Government has to push the matter beyond agreements to use the subject for its domestic agenda; its no co-incidence that the Kirschners have had “political difficulties” of late.
Aug 25th, 2009 - 06:57 pm - Link - Report abuse 0As the excellent comment about Xenophobia above, he was born there.
You are such an ignorant. Do you really think this t¨®pic is on the agenda? Do you really think we all are talking about this? There is nothing related to this among the top 20 most important issues here. People has a lot of problems to be thinking about malvinas right now. That doesn't mean they don't care though. Anyway, you know nothing about people's concerns here.
Aug 25th, 2009 - 07:37 pm - Link - Report abuse 0I put forward an idea to my goverment, if summers keeps bothering, then ban LAN flights as well. Cheers.
Well engineering an excuse to terminate the LAN flights to the Falklands could be the final stupid act by the Kirchners. Anything for a few votes, but probably it will all be sorted out one way or another, though the expectations from the Argentine side as to how many NOK they are going to fit on two LAN flights seems to be rather optimistic without bumping off most of the seats reserved for scheduled passengers. Still the Kirchners are pretty good at creative accounting I believe .
Aug 25th, 2009 - 10:19 pm - Link - Report abuse 0From the Argentine side the numbers dont add up even at the best interpretation.
Aug 25th, 2009 - 10:37 pm - Link - Report abuse 0An A320 normal flight takes 168 passengers
Assuming they replace it with an A340 which takes 258 passengers.
This seems to leave 90 vacant seats for NOK so even if there are only 100 scheduled passengers this still only leaves 158 seats for NOK and officiales.
This is a long way from the 649 total bandied about on the mainland.
Maybe my understanding of which substitute aircraft is to be used is mistaken.
Can anyone add up better than me?
Jorge is correct that the Argentine administration has many more critical issues to deal with than the Islands - for instance, apparently, putting soccer on broadcast TV, on which they are spending some 600 million pesos in taxpayers' money. It's all a matter of priorities, isn't it? Of course, raising the issue of the Islands is a lower-cost option than always has traction with a fanatical minority.
Aug 26th, 2009 - 01:35 am - Link - Report abuse 0do you are read the article??.... who is raising the issue here is wako mike....he is creating a conflict here from nothing.
Aug 26th, 2009 - 01:42 am - Link - Report abuse 0come on wako mike!!...leave the kelpers without their weekly flight!!!...you can do it!!
As Expat Kelper points out simply by quoting a few simple facts, the issue raised by the FIG happens to be correct.
Aug 26th, 2009 - 02:04 am - Link - Report abuse 0Originally the FIG and the families had made an agreement for the visit, then Christina and her cronies got in on the act insisting it was a charter flight by an Argentine carrier and flying in numbers the islands couldn't cope with. But its Argentina that doesn't allow charter flights and it was a move calculated for political impact not any compassion for the families.
And it was the FIG who came up with a solution not the Argentine Government, now once again its the Argentine Government working up to making a scene again. Its the Argentine Government once again interfering and the FIG looking for a solution to make it happen.
I did read the article you see.
NOK you are welcome!!
Aug 26th, 2009 - 02:14 am - Link - Report abuse 0free falklands
To malvinas people: do you realize That in spite of banning charter flights and withdrawing of oil and fisheries agreement Kirchner lost the latest elections? What I'm trying to say here is That people doesn't vote according to malvinas issues. So don't believe to those who say That Kirchner raise this issue for gainning elections. That is What summers wants you to believe. Maybe your interests as a community are not represented by a guy who own a fisheries company. Think about it. Cheers.
Aug 26th, 2009 - 06:35 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Jorge's comment “in spite of banning charter flights and withdrawing of oil and fisheries agreement Kirchner lost the latest elections”
Aug 26th, 2009 - 07:22 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Well then perhaps Argentine politicians should listen to the people and stop pursuing such an overtly hostile campaign then, shouldn't they. It doesn't stop the issue being used as a distraction for the Argentine domestic agenda.
Here's another idea, how about opening up and being friends rather than confrontational; starting with recognising that the people living there get to have a say in their future.
Justin Kuntz, your reasoning fails again. For your interpretation a good argentine politician is the one that recognize malvinas as a different nation. But it doesnt work that way.
Aug 26th, 2009 - 11:43 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Most people in Argentina if not all, agree that malvinas islands belong to our territorie, to think otherwise is a sign of ignorance from your side.
The forces sended by the military junta to malvinas in 1982 was used as a distraction for the Argentine domestic agenda. Not our claim.
As always Luis, you have to distort what I wrote. Nothing of the sort but as I've previously pointed out you will never get anywhere using coercion, people don't like bullies.
Aug 27th, 2009 - 04:22 am - Link - Report abuse 0I note that even now Argentines do not have any regret about the events of 1982 and the deaths of nearly a 1000 young men; only that they lost.
There will be a simple solution, a number of seats will be reerved for normal commercial passengers up to a period shortly before the flight,and only then can unused ones be reallocated to the NoK - unless this agreed the flight will not happen in the planned form.
Aug 27th, 2009 - 04:59 am - Link - Report abuse 0On a normal weekly flight, there are no more than 40 seat's taken each way by Islanders. This would have still allowed 218 seat's for NOK Families. Everyone has to be sensible about this, by insisting on having all the 258 seats is going to rile locals. Cut out all the Government Officials and press! This will no doubt free up seats......
Aug 27th, 2009 - 06:11 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Mr.Summers, from the “ridiculous” dont exist escape.. And I never see a resentful person like you and your people.
Aug 28th, 2009 - 03:30 am - Link - Report abuse 0Resentful, it was the FIG that made the visit possible, it was the Argentine Government that interfered and made it difficult. Only an Argentine could perform the double think mental gymnastics to make it someone else's fault.
Aug 28th, 2009 - 04:48 am - Link - Report abuse 0Commenting for this story is now closed.
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