MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Hague and Almagro to discuss Falklands’ flagged vessels restrictions on Friday

Foreign Affairs minister Luis Almagro and Foreign Secretary William Hague

Britain’s Foreign Secretary William Hague and Uruguay’s Foreign Affairs minister Luis Almagro will discuss the Falklands/Malvinas flagged vessels issue on Friday according to a release from the British embassy in Montevideo

British ambassador Patrick Mullee on Wednesday afternoon met with Minister Almagro at the same time the Foreign Office made official its “disappointment” with Uruguay’s position and announced it had instructed British Ambassadors in the region to raise this issue as a matter of urgency to clarify exactly whether or how Mercosur countries propose to implement the agreement barring Falklands’ flagged vessels from the region’s ports.

The meeting between Minister Almagro and Ambassador Mullee was described as “cordial” which in diplomatic terms means each side exposed its arguments with no further advances.

This situation therefore is to be followed by a direct discussion with the two countries officers responsible for foreign affairs, Almagro and Hague.

On Wednesday in a long interview with the British media Foreign Office minister Jeremy Browne talked about the long-standing friendship between Uruguay and UK and shared principles and values: “a strong maritime tradition as open nations; a clear belief in human rights and the rule of law; and a commitment to free trade and the benefits of commerce as an engine of prosperity”.

All this underpinned by a history of close relations: “the UK was a crucial ally in Uruguay’s struggle for independence, and we have remained trusted partners ever since”.

But Browne also cautioned Uruguay that Argentina’s policy of economic blockade is aimed directly at the intimidation of the Falklands people, and “this will not work: the British government will always ensure the wishes of the Falklands people are respected”.

Browne said he recalled with great fondness his visit to Montevideo earlier this year and the warm reception he received. “I came away from that trip with a clear conviction that the UK was right to want to work more closely with Uruguay, as a like-minded country with whom we can do serious business”.

However “as a genuine friend of Uruguay, I will not hide the British Government’s heartfelt disappointment over Uruguay’s decision, announced through the media and reaffirmed in Mercosur, to refuse entry into their ports of vessels flying the Falklands flag. I do not believe the decision is either justified or in Uruguay’s interest”.

The UK official admitted that Uruguay takes a different and longstanding position about the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands from the United Kingdom.

“For us it is very clear: it is the Falkland Islanders themselves who must determine the political future of the islands. There are Falkland Islanders today whose families have lived there for nine generations: how can anyone suggest that they should not have the right to choose the same for future generations? Imposing a political future on them, without regard to their wishes, would only amount to the kind of colonialism that others profess to reject. The Falklands is not a colony: it is a modern self-governing Territory that reflects the principles of democratic government”.

“I recognise too the pressure that is put on Uruguay by her larger neighbour to support ever more extreme positions against the Falklands people. But we should all be clear about the direction of Argentina’s policy: whether through the harassment of Falklands fishing vessels on their way to Montevideo, or by threats to cut the one remaining air link from the Falklands to South America, Argentina’s policy of economic blockade is aimed directly at the intimidation of the Falklands people. This will not work. The British government will always ensure the wishes of the Falklands people are respected”.

Further on Browne said he was greatly heartened to read President Mujica’s recent statement that Uruguay will never collude in Argentina’s policy of economic aggression against the Falklands people.

“Doing so would not only be unworthy of a democratic and responsible country like Uruguay, but it cannot be in its longer-term interests” underlined the Foreign Office.

After all, what friends do: “the peoples of the Falklands and Uruguay have enjoyed a mutually beneficial relationship for many years: Falkland-flagged vessels have been regular visitors to Uruguayan ports since the 1860s, and the ties between our peoples have enriched both societies. I firmly hope that these recent developments do not put this at risk. The British Government will do all we can to maintain these relationships, which have brought us both prosperity”.