MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Father Christmas arrives for Lan Chile with contract for 30 Airbus A 320
Chilean flag carrier LAN Airlines and its subsidiaries, one of the leading airlines in Latin America, announced Wednesday that the Company signed a contract for the purchase of 30 Airbus A320 family aircraft to be delivered between 2011 and 2016. Read full article
Comments
Disclaimer & comment rulesin normal world there would be LAN to Malvinas from Pta Arenas, Comodoro and Baires.
Dec 24th, 2009 - 01:02 pm - Link - Report abuse 0I don´t understand why if kelpers have selfdetermination they don´t solve the conflict. It´s the most peculiar use of seldetermination in the entire world.
Billy, This indeed is the only realistic option to a break in the flights impasse - AA cannot fly here as they would have to recognise our existence by communications with Govt Departments here for landing,insurance etc etc and Arg would not allow that. But Lan are multinational.
Dec 24th, 2009 - 07:20 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Arg can say it has Arg flagged and registered airline operating to the Islands(Lan Argentina planes are Arg registered and thus have Arg flag on the tail and we already allow private Arg aircraft so flag on tail is not new here) .Falklands can say it has more flights by Lan as all planes just say LAN on them, an airline under ultimate ownership of LanChile Company .
Result neither side looses face so maybe a win-win? Initially all flights would need to start and end somewhere in Chile and landing in Arg inbetween, later perhaps some starting and ending in BAires - you have to move slowly and slowly build bridges.
No, my friend, you are stil wrong, there is no flight impasse, there is a conflict impasse. You are expecting something from argentina that we can´t give. We can´t build bridges when in the other side we have a colony with an extraregional military and political power trying to dominate by force not only Malvinas, but Georgias, Sandwich, Antartica and all south atlantic.
Dec 24th, 2009 - 08:29 pm - Link - Report abuse 0If you want bridges don´t expect for Argentina to build them in current conditions; first you must do some homework, you are the only one who can do it, you have selfdetermination so use it.
You perfectly know wich is the obstacule we face to solve the situation and to build those bridges; it has name and surname: Great Britain. Your selfdetermination is the only tool we have (in peace way) to remove the obstacule.
Almost 30 years passed from war and since you have selfdetermination, when will you use it?? You can´t live forever like this. I think you are living in the most alienated situation I know, you have selfdetermination, given in hand by your masters, they gave you the key of your freedom (freedom from conflict), but you don´t use it. You prefer to live in conflict, in fear, in isolation, in underdevelopment; you prefer to see your children to leave instead of trying to build an integrated society that may give them opportunities for modern life.
Why don´t you start doing something instead of waiting for Argentina and blaming her?? when will you grown up from being a colonial subject to be a modern citizen of the free world?? That´s the questions you must answer, perhaps not here, but inside your community, then we can speak and we can start building bridges. We want to build bridges the same as you want, we want to live in a developed society, the same you want; but bridges and development with YOU, with kelper nation, not with your masters.
Billy, Merry Christmas to you and your family, and same to all others here - we may not always agree - but at least we discuss and help eachother understand where we are coming from. One hope for 2010(billy you and I are not guilty) is that some others can stop using abusive language to eachother- it does nothing.
Dec 25th, 2009 - 08:50 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Our young folk are not leaving - a biger percentage of them are wanting to return to the islands every year after getting their proffessional qualifications. I agree with you in principle Billy on the way ahead, but it will take time and at the moment is not made easier by the official Arg Govt position - we belong to them full stop and officially we do not exist as a people with rights.
Yes it bugs me too, that there are not good bridges between here and Tierra del Fuego - there could and will one day be a good joint “two destination” tourism industry” Its a case of how we leave the past behind without a loss of face by either.
Happiness for you and your family too in our summer christmas.
Dec 26th, 2009 - 10:31 pm - Link - Report abuse 0I don´t know if your children are leaving, I hope they don´t; but reality is showing me that Stanley population is stagnated between 1500 & 2500 since 1900; meanwhile your patagonian sister cities ran from 0 to 40-150k of population depending which city. Stanley has the potential to be another mayor city of patagonia and south atlantic; the difference between the potential and reality is at your cost, you are paying the cost of the conflict and british presence with your underdevelopment and isolation. Time is running against you and your next generations. I imagine, in a normal world with no conflict, an economic triangle whith vertexs in Stanley, Ushuaia and Comodoro Rivadavia. Tierra del Fuego and argentine mainland are your natural partners for social and economic development; kelpers can´t deny reality for ever; some day they will wake up and they will wish to be part of modern world as another citizen of the world. I imagine kelpers taking part of Mercosur as another member, trading and interating with south america as a normality.
You must read between lines official arg gov position when you say that for us you don´t exist as people with rights. Since 1989 you as a community are the target of argentine policies; first in the 90´s with seduction, now with economic warfare against you. So if you are the target that means that for Argentina you exists and you are the key for the solution. For Argentina you are the most important factor in this conflict. Argentina never challenged your rights as people, not even in wartime that was stoped, even in 82 we respected your basic rights, life and property. We only challenge the way you use selfdetermination.
Selfdetermination was born in modern world as a tool to fight against colonialism; as a tool for independence; as a tool to end anacronic situations of domination. You are subverting the meaning of seldetermination when you use it as an excuse to mantain and perpetuate a colonial situation and justify the presence of britain´s machinery to dominate south atlantic at argentine expenses. We can´t accept that; that´s the main issue of the conflict.
I hope we can´t leave the past behind; I think that in Argentine we a prepared for that; also I think that you are not yet prepared but you will. You need political parties and political discussion about the issue; you need different ideas; you need imagination. You saw that this fact is missing in your last election, all candidates said the same all words; not a single new a idea.
I bet that if you request a referendum in Argentina asking if we would accept the Kelper Nation under the condition that britain leaves the south atlantic and antartica region, the 60-70% of argentines would say YES.
Billy,
Dec 28th, 2009 - 10:37 pm - Link - Report abuse 0You do talk shovel fulls of 'caca de toro' just like your more well and better known namesake who thinks the UK still has police courts and the police run the justice system.
Beware Greeks bearing gifts as the ancients would say, in our case beware the mainlanders bearing potential gifts and words dripping with milk and honey.
Your words tell me that you know very little about what actually happens in the Falklands and in fact what really motivates the people who live there.
So you have 'bussed' in rent a crowd to T del F to create an artificial province in an attempt to give legitimacy to your spurious claim to the Falklands etc. Most of them as we know are out of work for all practical purposes and the whole shebang exists on Government subsidy. Half a days employment a week constitutes full employment does it not in your terms?
Populations grow in step with development and genuine enterprise the days of unhindered immigration belongs to the 19th and 20th centuries. (The way your immigrant country developed)
Even if you persuaded Islander to accept your poison chalice why would you imagine for one moment that the UK would include the SGSSI and the Antarctic sector in any deal? They never put them on the table in the past except to offer an ICJ judgement on the matter which you declined. (And therefore lost the argument whatever the excuse).
Why would the Falklands want to triangulate with Patagonia and T del F? Yes good trade if it exists but lets set our sights a little higher than that and triangulate where the real action is. Chile Uruguay and Brazil come to mind, even Buenos Aires if you if can stop sulking about the past and come into the real world.
There's a thing, your New Year Resolution, “Stop sulking about the past and come into the future.” Then on the other hand most people don't keep New Year's Resolutions do they?
Billy, Reality is that our total population has increased by 60% in 27 years since 1982 and continues to grow. Stanley has increased about 100% since the low of 1982 - as people migrate from rural areas to the towns - that happens worldwide.
Dec 29th, 2009 - 10:35 pm - Link - Report abuse 0We are a small group of Islands in the S Atlantic and even IF there were good relations with Argentina - logistics of travel and transport are still expensive and mean slower growth than on a mainland continent - anywhere in the world.
Britain has NO interests in the area outside of ours and our protection etc, other than those of any normal country in wanting to see fair play and democratic stability.
Wew are to small a population for effective political parties - they have been tried at times and all failed quickly. Our Legislature has mostly been a fair mix of different economic backgounds and beliefs - but all have the same belief when it comes to who should own the islands.
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