MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentina will accuse UK of South Atlantic and Malvinas militarization before UN

The Argentine president also called on PM Cameron “to give peace a chance”

In a much expected speech President Cristina Fernandez announced a further escalation of the Falklands/Malvinas sovereignty diplomatic dispute with the UK including formal ‘militarization’ complaints before the United Nations, a personal attendance with a delegation from all parties next June 14 to the UN decolonization committee and called on PM David Cameron to “give peace a chance”

The Tuesday evening speech on national television and before a packed Casa Rosada started with the reading of the decree that declassifies the Rattenbach report on the Falklands/Malvinas conflict which was ordered by the military Junta following the June 1982 defeat.

The report by the respected General Benjamin Rattenbach never saw public light in its original version since it was amended and deleted to lessen responsibilities of the generals, admirals and brigadiers involved in the invasion. Cristina Fernandez announced a committee will report to the president in thirty days to ensure there is no harming information for national security and then it will be made fully public.

“This will show that the full responsibility of the military adventure was a spurious military Junta, not the Argentine people; the Junta was the war monger, not the people in spite of circumstantial support for the events of 1982”, said the Argentine president, who emphasized the Malvinas cause is no longer only Argentine, “it has become a continental cause, a South American cause”.

This will show those who beat the war drums that the Argentine people, the 40 million Argentines, as a sovereign nation and in democracy have decided to claim the Malvinas Islands through peaceful and diplomatic means.

Following Cristina Fernandez announced Argentina would be filing a formal complaint before the United Nations General Assembly and Security Council over the militarization of the South Atlantic.

The complaints come in response to the recent announced deployment of a super state of the art ‘destroyer’ and the arrival of Prince Williams, heir of the British throne in a military uniform, “whom we would have preferred to see in civilian attire”.

“We will present a complaint to the UN Security Council and the UN General Assembly, as this militarization poses a grave danger to international security” she said adding that “we cannot interpret in any other way the deployment of an ultra-modern destroyer accompanying the heir to the throne, who we would prefer to see in civilian attire.”

The Argentine president made the announcements in a ceremony surrounded by Vice-President Amado Boudou, Cabinet Chief Juan Manuel Abal Medina, ministers, top officials and opposition members as well as umbrella union boss Hugo Moyano, Malvinas wars veterans and human rights activists.

Cristina Fernandez then recalled that next January (2013) will the 180th anniversary of the expulsion from the Malvinas by the British of a settlement of Argentines, including a gaucho by the name of Riveros, who back in the continent was involved in several important battles for the unification of Argentina.

And to press this point CFK announced she would be presenting, together with a delegation from the whole political spectrum, before the UN Decolonization Committee next June 14, Argentina’s case in support of sovereignty over the Malvinas Islands.

Finally she urged British Prime Minister David Cameron “to give peace a chance” and engage in bilateral discussions about the future of the Malvinas Islands as mandated by the UN.

“I would like to ask British Prime Minister David Cameron to give peace a chance,” she said. “Don't expect us to deal with this outside of politics or diplomacy. It's not going to happen. We've suffered too much. We don't like weapons or war,” she added.

On a more domestic issue, the Argentine president said a Malvinas Veterans hospital for the mentally ill because of the consequences of war will be inaugurated in a former military compound.

“Veterans have been asking for this for almost thirty years, in the meantime over 400 veterans committed suicide; let’s hope this hospital will give them the medical attention and care to those who offered their lives: honour and glory to them”.