MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Falkland Islands’ referendum blasted by the Argentine embassy in Montevideo media

A ploy organized by the British for the British so that the territory continues as British

In full half page white and blue ads the Argentine embassy in Montevideo expressed on Tuesday how grateful it is to Uruguay for its support in the Malvinas Islands claim and for having been one of the first countries to reject the ‘legitimacy and publicity stunt’ of the ‘pseudo-referendum’ recently held in the Falklands.

“The referendum ploy can’t conceal what is evident: a vote organized by the British, for the British and with the objective of saying that the territory in dispute must continue to be British”

In the ad motivated by a new anniversary of April 2 (beginning of the Falklands war in 1982) and 180 years since the expulsion of Argentine authorities from the Malvinas Islands by the British in 1833, “the embassy in Montevideo expresses the full gratitude from the Argentine people and government for the historic support from the sister republic of Uruguay to Argentina’s sovereignty claim over the Malvinas, South Georgia, South Sandwich Islands and adjoining maritime spaces”.

Acknowledgement also to all Uruguayans which have made theirs the fight against colonialism in the region and the unjustified and illegal militarization of a zone of peace as is the South Atlantic, says the message.

“Uruguay is asking for the same as Argentina: that the UK complies with the UN and international community calls inviting both sides to negotiate and find a peaceful solution to the controversy”.

Likewise “the strong position of Uruguay in this matter has a long history of commitment and bravery common to all the political arch”, and in recent years Uruguay’s active participation contributed to achieve significant supports across the continent as well as recent statements and requests before the United Nations again are evidence of an “unwavering, militant commitment” and the adoption of the Malvinas cause.

Further on the message underlined that the Uruguayan government, ministers and lawmakers have made it clear that an occupying population of a territory can’t appeal to the peoples’ right to self determination.

“The illegitimate referendum is nothing else but a mise-en-scene taking advantage of a highly valued principle by the international community such as peoples’ self determination pretending to smoke-screen an act of colonial usurpation that gives an air of legitimacy to the continuing illegal British actions and negative to negotiate”.

This principle is distorted and trivialized by the UK in the Malvinas question and the UN does not recognize for the Malvinas case since the population is British and implanted, completely different to the classic cases of colonialism in which the pre-existent people is the victim of a colonial domination.

The release then argues that the British (in 1833) expulsed from the Malvinas Islands Argentine people and authorities which were exercising sovereignty and implanted its own colonial settlers and established a migratory iron-control on the isolated territory.

“Even today it is the colonial government that decides on the population composition of the territory”.

There is a quick mention to the East Timor self determination consulting process organized by the UN in 2002, and an insistence that the illegitimate Malvinas referendum has not been convened, approved or supervised by the UN.

Finally a strong acknowledgement to the Foro Malvinas, chapter Uruguay created in February 2012 in support of the Argentine claims and with representation from all the political arch as well as business leaders, academics and representatives from Uruguayan culture.

“Always Brothers” and the two flags are stamped at the end of the message.