MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentine Families would like more time at Falklands’ Darwin cemetery

The six members of the Argentine Families Commission visiting the Islands next to Paul Martinez from the FCO (standing third from left)

A delegation from the Argentine Families Commission (AFC) said on Friday in Stanley that detailed plans for two services due to take place at the Falkland Islands Argentine cemetery near Darwin next October are taking shape, however they hope to have more time on the ground than is currently proposed.

The two visits – on October 3 and 10 – will take place in conjunction with the weekly scheduled Saturday Lan flight. The families will arrive at Mount Pleasant, travel to the cemetery for the services and return to the continent on the same aircraft.

Leandro de la Colina, whose pilot father was killed in the 1982 war, said the schedule was already tight but the AFC hoped to have more time than the approximately two hours currently planned. Speaking through an interpreter he said: “We are going to do our best to see if we can extend the visit as much as possible but we can't extend more than could be rationally expected, due to the two scheduled flights. Although there are many people coming for the first time – and it is dependent on weather – we think two and a half hours would be more than enough so they can have their own time for privacy (after the service).”

The party consists of the Families Commission president, Hector Omar Cisneros and members Leandro de la Colina, Jorge Francisco Racca and Carlos Daniel Salazar along with doctor Nestor Gustavo Aguirrre and translator, Tomas Pico.

Mr Cisneros said there were a “few minor details” to be settled over the next few days but he was very happy with the reception the group had had from the Falkland Islands Government and Foreign and Commonwealth Office staff at Government House.

Mass will be said at both services at the cemetery, jointly led by Father Peter Norris of St Mary's Church and two Argentine priests, and all Falkland Islanders were welcome to attend the services if they wished, Mr Cisneros said. Invitations have also been extended to British veterans from the South Atlantic Medal Association (SAMA82) and their families.

Government House First Secretary, Paul Martinez, said it had not yet been decided whether any representatives of the UK and Falkland Islands governments would attend the services.

The memorial at the cemetery will be inaugurated during the first service and at the second, an image of the Virgin of Lujan, the patron saint of Argentina, will be placed in the memorial at the cemetery.

The exact number of family members who will make the journey to the Falklands is not yet certain and discussions are said to be continuing between the British Embassy in Buenos Aires and the Argentine government regarding the cancellation of local seat bookings in favour of bookings from Argentina.

Mr de la Colina said the AFC had been told there would be 240 seats available on each visit. However he added, “It's not up to us, it's still being discussed by both governments and it is a decision we do not want to be involved in.”

By Jenny Cockwell - SeAled PR - Stanley