MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Falklands tells OAS sovereignty is “non negotiable”, but seek “neighbourly relations” with Argentina

Gilbert House, Office of the Falklands’ elected Legislative Assembly

The Falkland Islands elected government responded to an Argentine inspired declaration from the Organization of American States, OAS, saying that the Falklands have “a right to self determination” and fully supports the UK government’s resolute position that “the issue of sovereignty is non negotiable”.

“The people of the Falkland Islands have a right to self-determination, enshrined in international law” reads the official release from Gilbert House, seat of the Falklands Legislative Assembly.

The release adds that “we fully support the UK government’s current resolute position, which confirms that the issue of sovereignty is non-negotiable”.

Nevertheless the Falklands seek nothing more than neighborly relations with Argentina.

It also points out that this year’s edition of the OAS declaration is not different from previous years: “it has not changed, and nor has anything else”.

Earlier this week the OAS General Assembly meeting in San Salvador included in its final declaration a chapter on “the question of the Malvinas Islands” which was passed by unanimous consent basically calling “for Argentina and the UK to resume, as soon as possible, negotiations on the sovereignty dispute in order to find a peaceful solution to this protracted controversy”.

OAS also anticipates that it will “again examine the question of the Malvinas Islands at its subsequent t sessions until a definitive settlement has been reached thereon”.

However the Members of the Falklands Legislative Assembly insist they only seek neighborly relations with Argentina and “regret that this issue should once again be raised on the regional stage”.

Argentina maintains a policy of collecting support for its sovereignty claim over the Falklands/Malvinas in all possible regional and international forums and/or meetings.

Finally the release from Gilbert House, underlines that the “OAS maintains a longstanding declaration on the Falkland Islands but we note that the wording in this year’s declaration is the same as in previous years - it has not changed, and nor has anything else”.