MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Taiana and Tierra del Fuego governor heads of delegation to C 24 in New York

Fabiana Ríos, governor of Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica and South Atlantic Islands province

A new chapter of the Argentine escalation of the Falklands/Malvinas sovereignty dispute is scheduled for next week at the United Nations Decolonization Committee or C24.

Representatives from the elected government of the Falkland Islands and from Argentina will display their arguments at the C24, an annual ritual but which this year promises to be much tenser since Argentina has launched a package of measures to counter the oil exploration round begun last February in Falklands’ waters.

According to Buenos Aires diplomatic sources the Argentine delegation will be headed by Foreign Affairs minister Jorge Taiana and will include among others Fabiana Rios, Governor of the Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica and South Atlantic Islands province.

Argentina is expected to make a forceful presentation in defence of “its legitimate sovereign interests” over the Falklands, South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands plus adjoining maritime spaces.

The Argentine government is expected to insist that the UK abides by the several UN resolutions calling for the resumption of sovereignty talks.

Argentina’s strategy has been to increase its claims in all world forums and international organizations, with the support of Latinamerica and Caribbean countries (the latest in Lima, Peru during the OAS annual general assembly).

This has been particularly intense since a round of exploratory drilling commenced last February in Falklands waters with the arrival of a British oil rig.

However the new British coalition headed by PM David Cameron and Deputy PM Nick Clegg have been equally affirmative and adopted a strong stance in support of the Falklands right to self determination and to develop a hydrocarbons industry.

Last Friday Deputy PM Clegg while visiting Spain and in perfect Spanish said that “we will not compromise the rights, preferences and sovereignty of the Falklands”, adding that “we clearly want the Falklands to remain as part of the United Kingdom”.