MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Falkland Islands’ history and referendum message impact in Honduras and Guatemala

MLA Elsby during his visit to a newspaper in Tegucigalpa, Honduras

The way the Falkland Islands have developed into a self governing and self financing country and the recent referendum with its strong message, attracted genuine attention of another two countries visited by a Falklands’ delegation.

Honduras and Guatemala in Central America were visited by Falklands lawmaker Dr Barry Elsby and young Islander Krysteen Ormond as part of the regional tour that finally ended in Mexico.

Although the visit to Honduras, the poorest country of Central America was only 24 hours and during over the last weekend, member of the Legislative Assembly Dr. Elsby met with members of the Honduran congress and with Dra Maria Dolores Agüero head of the Multilateral policies from the country’s Foreign ministry.

Given the recent political turmoil in Honduras, with much foreign intervention and ‘bullying’ from the big Latinamerican countries, the Honduran audience was most interested in listening first hand about events in the Falklands, the referendum, the exercise of the right to self determination, and mainly why Falklanders have decided to remain a British Overseas Territory.

MLA Elsby also faced a round of media interviews which he managed with his growing experience and training for such occasions.

In Guatemala the program began with a meeting last Monday with the Guatemalan congress Foreign Affairs Commission president, Mario Taracena alongside two other members of the commission.

Later in the day, MLA Elsby and Krysteen attended a round-table discussion with the Association of International Relations Students at the (Catholic) Universidad Rafael Landivar in Guatemala City, one of the most prestigious of the country.

Students showed great interest in knowing about the Falklands/Malvinas dispute, the recent referendum and its overwhelming result in support of maintaining the current political status of the Islands.

The students were grateful about the exchange since the prevailing version of the Falklands’ issue in the country is that sponsored by Argentina.

Monday’s program ended with a very useful meeting with Carlos Raúl Morales, Vice-Minister for International Affairs. Also present was Director General of Bilateral Relations, the Guatemalan Ambassador to London and other senior government officials.

On Tuesday, the delegation spent most of the day being hosted by Professor Pedro Trujillo at the Universidad Francisco Marroquín, where they gave presentations to International Relations students and engaged in a seminar with law students and professors at the faculty.

Marroquin is the other large prestigious university of Guatemala (like Landivar) where the country’s elite study before going to the United States for their postgraduates.

Krysteen, as a representative of the new generation of Islanders was later interviewed live by Pedro Trujillo on his TV show ‘Noticias 8:45’ on Canal Antigua.

Guatemala was a challenging leg of the regional tour since the country has an ongoing claim to neighbouring and independent Belize (former British Honduras), a member of the Commonwealth with a small British garrison used as a training facility for tropical warfare. Independent since 1981, Guatemala only recognized Belize in 1992 but the borders’ dispute continues and the Organization of American States in mediating.

In reviewing the visit, MLA Barry Elsby explained that “as with other countries we have visited in the region, people in both Honduras and Guatemala are willing to listen to how the Falkland Islands have developed into a self governing and self financing country”.

He further underlined the impact which the Falklands’ referendum has had in the region.

“In the two countries they recognise the importance of our recent referendum, representing as it does the wishes of the people of the Falkland Islands and their desire for self determination”

MLA Elsby is currently in Mexico City where he will wrap his Latin American tour before returning to the Falklands this weekend