MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Hague reaffirms sovereignty and values discussing Falklands self-determination with Brazil

Hague and George Canning: “Britain’s most ambitious effort to strengthen ties with Latin America in 200 years”

Foreign Secretary William Hague during a major speech on foreign policy in Brazil said that the UK will always uphold sovereignty over the Falkland Islands and the rights of the Islanders to self determination.

“We will always uphold UK sovereignty and the rights of the Islanders to self-determination, while valuing the ability to discuss these issues with Brazil in a framework that respects international law and human rights”, said Hague at the end of a two day visit to Brazil which he praised as an emerging global power.

In his speech the Foreign Secretary recalled the close links between Brazil and Britain going back two hundred years and announced that after several decades of withdrawal from Latin America “we have now opened a new chapter in this history”.

He said “the days of our diplomatic retreat from your region are over. We have begun Britain’s most ambitious effort to strengthen ties with Latin America in 200 years, since the days of Foreign Secretary George Canning.

“Like you, we welcome a stronger role in world affairs for Latin American countries, although where we have our own views over issues such as the Falkland Islands we will always be frank about them”, pointed out Hague.

Further on Hague said that the UK is a leading voice in the EU against protectionism and in favour of Free Trade Agreements, including the vitally important Free Trade Agreement between the EU and Mercosur which “we attach great importance to, and the completion of the Doha Trade Round”.

“We share your confidence in Brazil’s future, and are excited about the opportunities for stronger ties between our people and our economies”.

Hague said that the world has changed profoundly since the end of the Cold War and international relations are no longer dominated by a handful of powerful states that can dictate terms for the rest, and never will be again: that era is over.

“We are in a new phase in the concert of nations, in which states that have not traditionally dominated or sought dominance have an equal role to play in world affairs”.

“In this new global environment our British government is looking further afield for opportunities for our citizens and new ways of working in foreign policy – not replacing our role in Europe and indispensable alliance with the United States, but running alongside them and indeed reinforcing them. Our aim is that the United Kingdom should be at the centre of the networks of the 21st century, including here in Latin America”.

Further on Hague said that the UK strongly believes that the institutions of global governance must become more representative, which is why “we support reform of the United Nations Security Council including a permanent seat for Brazil”.

“We know that Brazil has long played a distinguished role in this region; that you prize your long history of peaceful relations with your neighbours and take your international responsibilities very seriously”.

Finally the Foreign Secretary admitted that the UK and Brazil do not always draw the same conclusions about the best way to act when human rights are threatened at decisive moments.

However President Dilma Rousseff recently put forward the concept of ‘responsibility while protecting’ alongside the UN concept of the Responsibility to Protect, which “we welcome as a contribution to the international debate and as I said to Foreign Minister Patriota yesterday, we look forward to discussing it and to finding common ground between our different perspectives”.

“We therefore see it as very much in both our countries’ interests that we develop a strong and equal working relationship in foreign policy, on that reflects today’s workd and our many shared values as fellow democracies”

“How much easier it will be to address the challenges of insecurity, terrorism and prosperity if countries like Britain and Brazil are active partners in international affairs, and if Brazil brings all these qualities to bear in the world.  Our values, our economic compatibility and our international roles give us great potential to be closer partners. This is our ambition and we will invest in it over the coming years”.