MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Chile denies ‘media rumours’ of Argentine sea and air blockade to the Falklands

Minister Moreno: “no talks have taken place, or a request or questioning regarding Lan Chile's flights”

Chilean Foreign Affairs minister Alfredo Moreno denied rumours that Argentina had requested Chile to join a blockade of the Falklands Islands and also reassured that the government of President Cristina Fernandez has not questioned the commercial air link between Santiago and the Islands.

“No talks have taken place, or a request or questioning by Argentina regarding Lan Chile's flights between Punta Arenas and the Falkland Islands, which are the only connection between those Islands and the South American continent”, said Moreno, quoted by the official newspaper La Nacion.

Furthermore, “the Argentine government has never proposed an economic blockade, either to us or to any other country; there’s too much speculation in the press” Moreno added.

The Chilean foreign minister noted that his government has always supported Argentina in its demand for sovereignty over the Falkland Islands. “Chile has supported since 1960 Argentina's demand for sovereignty, and has called to solve this at bilateral negotiations between the two countries,” he stressed.

Moreno made it clear that bilateral relations are in a good moment, and repeated his government's stance of maintaining excellent relations with the United Kingdom as well. He also pointed out that with the coming declassification of UK documents on the Falklands conflict, the links between Chile and Argentina “will not be influenced”

Chile’s support for the Argentine claim was again confirmed last December when it adhered to a Mercosur resolution barring all Falklands’ flagged vessels from its ports, which generated concern in the UK.

In recent weeks the Chilean, Argentine, UK and Falklands media have speculated that the bilateral agenda to be addressed by presidents Sebastián Piñera and Cristina Fernandez when they meet in Santiago sometime this month includes the continuity of Lan Chile’s scheduled flight to the Falkland, once a week, and which once a month calls at Rio Gallegos.

“The historic facts are well known and I think the situation nowadays between Chile and Argentina is one of excellent relations and the Malvinas issue is quite clear”, underlined Moreno trying to minimize the fact that during the military dictatorship of General Pinochet in 1982, the UK effort to recover the Falklands has full support from Chile.

However the possibility of suspending the commercial air link between Chile and the Falklands was not invented by the media but was specifically mentioned by President Cristina Fernandez while addressing the UN General Assembly last September when she revealed the issue had been addressed with President Piñera.

Argentina has never mentioned that she is intent in blockading the Falklands but all the measures taken so far: dumping fisheries and oil agreements; banning charter flights; demanding all vessels heading for the Falklands should check with the Argentine Coast Guard; threatening companies with interests on both sides of the South Atlantic and barring Falklands’ flagged vessels from regional ports, plus the constant challenge of vessels flying the Falklands flag steaming in international waters indicates something exactly the opposite.