MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentina says no change in Mercosur decision to bar Falklands’ flagged vessels

Timerman revealed he talked with his peers from Brazil, Chile and Uruguay

Argentina in two brief statements said on Tuesday that there has been no change in Mercosur members’ position to bar Falklands’ flagged vessels from the region’s ports and that the United Kingdom admits that such policy has become effective.

Earlier in the day the Foreign Secretary William Hague addressed a statement to Parliament updating the dispute over Falklands’ flagged vessels saying that following on ‘productive and honest discussions’ with Uruguay, Chile and Brazil, these countries have no intention of participating in an economic blockade of the Falkland Islands and that all Falklands-related commercial shipping will continue to enjoy access to their ports, in accordance with domestic and international law, if they are flying the Red Ensign or another national flag when docked.

From Buenos Aires the ministry said that following on press reports attributing Foreign Secretary William Hague had achieved a change of position in the region regarding the barring of vessels flying the illegal flag of the Malvinas Islands from the ports of Brazil, Chile and Uruguay, “Foreign Affairs minister Hector Timerman personally contacted his peers Antonio Patriota, Alfredo Moreno and Luis Almago who confirmed that their respective governments had not modified their position since the adoption of the Mercosur and associate states 20 December declaration regarding vessels flying the illegal flag of the Malvinas Islands” and as such was transmitted to the government of the UK.

In a previous statement Argentina argues that Foreign Secretary William Hague admitted to Parliament that no vessel flying the ‘illegal’ flag from the Malvinas Islands will be allowed to dock in ports from Mercosur full members or associate members.

“In his 10 January statement Hague reports that after having talked on two occasions with the Uruguayan Foreign Affairs minister Luis Almagro and after several other dealings with the governments of Chile and Brazil, it has become evident that vessels with the ‘illegitimate’ Malvinas flag will have to replace it”, reads the Argentine statement.

Furthermore the Argentine release says that in his report “Hague describes Argentine diplomatic initiatives as a commercial blockade. However these actions are in the framework of the defence of renewable and non renewable natural resources which belong to the Argentine people as acknowledged among others by all the countries of the region”.

Finally the Foreign Secretary underlines the need to respect the principles of the United Nations charter “without mentioning that the UK has not complied with ten resolutions from the General Assembly and 29 resolutions from the UN Decolonization Committee which call on both sides (Argentina and the UK) to resume negotiations on the Falklands/Malvinas sovereignty dispute”.