Argentine president at UN threatens to suspend Falklands’ air link with Chile

Wednesday, September 21st 2011 - 18:33 UTC

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UK must comply with UN resolutions and begin talks with Argentina, insisted CFK

Argentine president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, CFK, threatened to review and suspend the Falklands/Malvinas air link with Chile, covered by the 14 July 1999 agreement, unless the UK abides by UN resolutions and begins talks with Argentina on disputed South Atlantic Islands’ sovereignty.

The Argentine leader delivered Wednesday midday her fourth speech before the UN General Assembly and renewed claims over the Malvinas Islands linking the issue to UN Security Council reforms and the Palestinian state bid for a seat at the UN.

“We’ve come once again to the UN to talk about a vital issue; once again we convene the UK to abide by UN resolutions” calling for talks “on our Malvinas Islands sovereignty; we will wait for some more time, but if not we will be forced to review current provisional understanding”.

She explained the meaning of her words: “I’m referring to the 14 July 1999 understanding when it was agreed to have a two way weekly flight by LAN Chile linking the Malvinas. (UN) resolutions must be complied” insisted Cristina Fernandez.

The 14 July 1999 understanding was reached twelve years ago in London by then Argentine Foreign Affairs minister Guido Di Tella, his British peer Robin Cook and Falklands elected Councillors. Under the agreement, 17 years after the end of the Falklands conflict, Argentine citizens could again travel to the Islands with their Argentine passports, while on October 16, flights between the Islands and the South American continent resumed.

“Argentina has repeatedly invited the UK to talk about our sovereignty rights. We are simply asking that the UK complies with just one out of ten UN General Assembly declarations”, underlined Cristina Fernandez.

The UK has systematically denied dialogue “taking advantage of its condition of member of the UN Security Council with a right to veto”, pointed out the Argentine president who underlined the need for a more democratic, open UN, where decision belong to an exclusive club.

“The question of the Malvinas Islands sovereignty is a major test for the Security Council and for the UN” as is the right of the Palestinian state to have a seat at the UN.

“It is obvious the UK cannot claim sovereignty over a territory that's 14,000 kilometres away from their land” affirmed the Argentine president. “We’re not asking the UK to sit to accept right away sovereignty talks, we are asking the UK to comply with the UN General Assembly resolutions” and not necessarily with the 29 resolutions from the Decolonization Committee, or the so many others statements from the OAS, Mercosur, Unasur, and other Latam-African and Asian forums.

Mrs. Kirchner in her speech renewed Argentina’s claim to the trial and punishment of former and current Iranian officials accused of masterminding the terrorist attack on the attack on the Argentine Jewish Mutual Association (AMIA) in 1994.

The Iranian government “has recently showed us some signs of cooperation, but that’s not enough” said CFK. “All we want is justice, and we need their full commitment to the case, and if they do not trust the Argentine Judicial power, we can take the case to an international court”.

The Argentine president speech came in seventh place, after Brazil, the US, Qatar, Mexico, Kazakhstan and France and also referred to the Palestinian bid for full UN membership and the global economic context.

“Not allowing Palestine to be part of the UN's assembly is a way to promote world terrorism”, but warned that “UN's 'full membership' category should be eliminated.”

In regards to the current crisis of capitalism, the leader said “Argentina has overcome the major economic crisis in the history of modern world”, CFK told the audience and emphasized, “Unfortunately we live in a world full of financial speculation, which destroys lives and hopes of millions.”

Likewise, the Head of State charged against international rating agencies as she warned that ”They [rating agencies] have great responsibility for the global crisis”.