MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Argentine lawmaker blasts UK marine conservation project in South Georgia
Lawmaker Atanasof, indisputably ‘a colonialist action ‘ Argentine lawmaker and president of the Malvinas Islands Parliamentary Observatory Alfredo Atanasof said Britain’s intention of creating a huge marine conservation zone in waters of South Georgia was “completely illegitimate”.
The Times newspaper reported this week that the zone measuring one million square kilometres will be around the island of South Georgia, where the Falklands war began nearly 30 years ago, and the South Sandwich Islands.
A British official speaking on condition of anonymity confirmed the details in The Times and said a formal announcement was due in the coming days by the government of South Georgia.
The marine zone would allow authorities to ban the slaughter of whales and other wildlife, while fishing would only be permitted in designated areas, The Times said. It is a habitat for penguins, walruses and Patagonian toothfish, it added.
“The initiative is another colonialist action from Britain and completely illegitimate which requires the rejection of all sectors of the Argentine society and our Latin American partners”, said Atanasof.
“The difficult sustentation of British colonial policy needs of new strategies to support its illegal position in fields that promote for example environmental actions”, added the legislator
Whitehall source explained that “Argentina, like the United Kingdom, is a signatory of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Living Resources so we would like to think that common interest in conservation will carry more weight than the dispute over sovereignty.”
Atanasof said that the episode constitutes “a new abusive and illegitimate advance of the UK government project which is attempting to create a natural habitat for penguins, sea lions and whales in our islands”.
“We are strong supporters of International law and we insist in the compliance of resolutions from the different international organizations for the reestablishment of sovereignty negotiations over the Falklands/Malvinas Islands”, concluded the Argentine member of the Lower House.
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Read all commentsSomeone tell him to mind his own business!
Dec 08th, 2011 - 07:07 am 0So Argentina advocates “rejection” of conservation and protecting whales. Interesting.
Dec 08th, 2011 - 08:46 am 0USS Lexington raidIn 1831, Vernet attempted to assert his monopoly on seal hunting rights. This led him to capture the American ships Harriet, Superior and Breakwater. As a reprisal, the United States sent Captain Silas Duncan of the USS Lexington to recover the confiscated property. After finding what he considered proof that at least four American fishing ships had been captured, plundered, and even outfitted for war, Duncan took seven prisoners aboard the Lexington and charged them with piracy.
Dec 08th, 2011 - 09:12 am 0Also taken on board, Duncan reported, ”were the whole of the (Falklands') population consisting of about forty persons, with the exception of some 'gauchos', or cowboys who were encamped in the interior.“ The group, principally German citizens from Buenos Aires, ”appeared greatly rejoiced at the opportunity thus presented of removing with their families from a desolate region where the climate is always cold and cheerless and the soil extremely unproductive”. However, about 24 people did remain on the island, mainly Gauchos and several Charrua Indians, who continued to trade on Vernet's account.
Measures were taken against the settlement, the log of the Lexington reports destruction of arms and a powder store, while settlers remaining later said that there was great damage to private property.[12] Towards the end of his life, Luis Vernet authorised his sons to claim on his behalf for the his losses stemming from the raid. In the case lodged against the US Government for compensation, rejected by the US Government of President Cleveland in 1885, Vernet stated that the settlement was destroyed.[13]
after reading this I wonder when will Argentina deport all pirats and british illegal aliens ??
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