MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Malvinas Families grateful to Argentine, UK governments and Islanders

Pictures speak for themselves (Photo Infobae)

“We are most grateful to the governments of Argentina and Britain for having allowed us to go ahead with the homage, and to the Falkland Islanders for having left aside wounds of the past”, said Malvinas Families head Hector Cisneros at the successful completion of the first of two visits to the Falkland Islands.

Last Saturday 165 members of the Malvinas Families spent four hours in Darwin, at the Argentine cemetery for the official opening of the Memorial to the memory of the Argentine combatants fallen during the 1982 conflict with Britain.

A second group of over 220 is scheduled to complete a similar program next Saturday flying from Rio Gallegos in Argentine Patagonia in the weekly Lan flight that links the Falklands with the continent.

On arrival the next of kin were received by Paul Martínez, Deputy Governor and in fifteen minutes had completed all the migration paperwork and were off to Darwin. They were hosted in three tents serviced by British military personnel and all the needs, (hot meal and drinks and blankets) to sustain the cold windy weather.

“It’s very important that the Families could come to the cemetery and see their sons”, said Paul Martinez, who added that “Falkland Islanders agree with the trips and this humanitarian event”.

The majority of the first group was made up of relatives from crew members that went down with the cruiser General Belgrano (323) and whose names, as all of the Argentines killed in the conflict, are engraved in 24 plaques of the Memorial.

“The display and support from the British military was perfect and very much appreciated”, said Cisneros who added that the Families Commission was particularly grateful with the people of the Islands who have always been “so warm and respectful and helpful”.

On request from the Families the Argentine press kept to the conditions agreed for the visit, no Argentine flags, no national hymns, nothing that could spoil the spirit of the day “a very emotional day, a day for the families to reflect and be intimate with their beloved”.

The ceremonial mass was held together between Argentine padre Sebastián Combi and the local Catholic priest Peter Norris, with Peter Martinez and the Commander of the South Atlantic Islands Forces Commodore Gordon Moulds attending in first line.

”Contemplating this cemetery stimulates us to abandon our selfish attitudes and be citizens committed to the motherland, as they were. Today our motherland needs heroes willing to make the maximum sacrifice for a fairer motherland and with greater solidarity”, said padre Combi.

”All run smoothly and according to schedule”, said the organizers who added that “we are certain next week we will see the same attitude and spirit”.

“Let us hope this is the beginning of a re-encounter of all Argentines, so that we can all understand that there wasn’t two wars, but one, and all those who fell merit the same respect”, concluded Cisneros.