Falkland Islands’ dispute: Timerman to meet UN Ban Ki Moon this week in New York

Sunday, March 24th 2013 - 03:18 UTC

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Ban Ki Moon has said a prevailing impression in the UN is that “people living under certain conditions should have a certain level of capacities to decide their own future”

Argentina this coming week will be meeting in New York with UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, with the support of top regional officials to renew its long-standing demand that the UK sits to discuss with Argentina the Falklands/Malvinas sovereignty dispute.

According to a release in Buenos Aires from the ministry, Foreign Minister Hector Timerman is scheduled to meet between Monday and Tuesday with Ban Ki Moon and Ambassador Diego Morejón Pazmiño, president of the Special Committee on Decolonization.

The statement from Palacio San Martín says that Timerman will attend such meetings joined by foreign ministers who currently preside over the pro-tempore presidency of the main Latin American and Caribbean blocs.

The Argentine Foreign Ministry also stressed the significance of the New York meetings as a “favourable opportunity to expose the reasons of the illegality of the referendum” that the British inhabitants of Malvinas Islands held to ratify their decision to remain an Overseas Territory of the UK earlier in March but that “no regional country” has recognized as a legitimate voting process.

Argentina on several occasions has requested the ‘good offices’ of Ban Ki Moon to intervene in the Falklands/Malvinas sovereignty dispute, and demanding that the UK comply with UN resolutions calling for negotiations..

On Friday, legislators from more than 20 Latin American and Caribbean countries supported Argentina’s position against the referendum at the 128th Assembly of the World Inter-Parliamentary Union meeting in Ecuador.

Last March 10/11 organized by the local elected authorities the Falkland Islands held a referendum which with a turnout of 92% voted 98.9% to remain as a British Overseas Territory. Observers from the Americas and other parts of the world followed the whole process and praised the Falklands’ government for the organization and transparency of the ballot.

A delegation from the government of the Falkland Islands has been touring Caribbean, Central American countries, Canada and the US to expose the results of the referendum and their right to self determination.

But despite Argentina’s insistence Ban Ki Moon has said UK is not violating relevant UN resolutions referred to the Falklands’ and more specifically on colonialism, he argued that a prevailing impression is that “people living under certain conditions should have a certain level of capacities so that they can decide their own future”, be it independence or some kind of government in their territories.

Ban Ki Moon last December also insisted that the UN aims to see the conflict between Argentina and Britain over the Falklands/Malvinas resolved through dialogue, peacefully adding he was “concerned about the strong statements exchange between Argentina and the United Kingdom”.

The UN Secretary General remarks belong to a long interview in New York with the Buenos Aires newspaper Tiempo Argentino, which is closely aligned with the government of President Cristina Fernandez.

“I don’t think Security Council members are violating relevant UN resolutions. The impression is that people who are living under certain conditions should have access to certain level of capacities so that they can decide on their own future. And that is the main criteria of the main UN bodies. Having independence or having some kind of government in their territories. I don’t think it’s an abuse or violation of relevant UN resolutions”, said Ban Ki-moon.