MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Majority of young Argentines consider Malvinas a “national cause”

Over half of interviews openly disagreed with the military occupation of 1982

Eight out of ten Argentines believes that the British presence in the Malvinas/Falkland Islands is a violation of Argentine sovereignty, although a significant percentage is willing to consider the possibility or shared sovereignty, according to the latest survey to be released in Buenos Aires.

Pollster Iberómetro found out that 79.3% of Argentines consider the Malvinas question which triggered a war between Argentina and Britain in 1982, a very important issue for the country.

“A significant conclusion from the survey is that among the youngest the average of those who consider the issue very important or important is above the medium rate which helps to explain why it remains among those issues of most public interest in Argentina”, pointed out Leonardo Hekimian, Foreign Policy Professor at the Catholic University of Argentina.

The survey also reveals the high appraisal of diplomacy as the tool to recover sovereignty over the Malvinas/Falklands and a strong rejection of any warlike action. In effect, seven out of ten supports Argentina’s diplomatic actions in international and regional forums, while 11.8% prefers political and economic pressure to force Britain to negotiate sovereignty and 3.2% remain supportive of a military occupation of the Islands.

Furthermore 52.8% of those interviewed said they openly disagreed with the military recovery of the Malvinas/Falklands in 1982. Similarly 44.3% consider positive the Argentine government’s sovereignty claims insistence in international forums.

Looking ahead three out of ten Argentines thinks that in the future the UK and Argentina will share sovereignty over the Islands, while 25% believes that eventually the Malvinas/Falklands will return to Argentina and only 15.9% that the local Islanders will declare themselves and independent country.

As to the shared sovereignty, 41% if interviews consider it a step towards the final completion of Argentine sovereignty while 30% said it was “unacceptable” and for 18.9% it’s the maximum Argentina “will ever be able to achieve”.

“If the ‘some degree of shared sovereignty’ tendency is confirmed, this could give future Argentine governments a negotiation chip which has not been explored since the end of the South Atlantic war in 1982”, according to Hekimian.

Regarding the recent trips to the Falklands of the Malvinas Families next of kin, 80% was informed and “almost 40% said that those trips ratify that Malvinas is a national cause”. Another 36.8% argued they contribute to reaffirm Argentina’s presence in the Islands and 22.1% believe they only have a meaning for the next of kin.

Finally 40% consider that the inauguration of the Memorial at the Argentine cemetery in Darwin was an achievement of the Argentine government, but not so for 34.3%.

The poll was done in Buenos Aires City and in 24 counties from metropolitan Buenos Aires taking advantage of the Malvinas Families next of kin trips media coverage.