MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Falkland Island's self-determination: Queen out of touch with reality, says Argentina

Senator Filmus says the Queen remains faithful to British colonialist history and tradition

“The Queen is not aware that we are in the XXIst century and she follows the colonialist tradition of the United Kingdom”, claimed Argentine Senator Daniel Filmus, the first reaction to the Queen’s strong message in support of the Falkland Islands and Gibraltar right to determine their political futures.

“My government will ensure the security, good governance and development of the Overseas Territories, BOT, including by protecting the Falkland Islanders’ and Gibraltarians’ right to determine their political futures”, said the Queen in her speech at the House of Lords that opened a new session of the British Parliament.

“The Queen remains faithful to UK colonialist history and tradition, she’s not aware we are in the XXIst century and times change”, said Filmus who is chairman of the Argentine Senate Foreign Affairs commission.

Filmus added that the Queen when talking about self-determination “fails to recognize that Malvinas is a case of territorial integrity” as set out by the United Nations in its resolutions, and “is not based on the self-determination of a people because it is a transplanted population by the British”

Furthermore, “no UN resolution related to the Malvinas question refers to self-determination” insisted Senator Filmus.

“In fact since the trumpeted publicity stunt mounted by Britain with the Islanders referendum, nothing has changed for International Law which continues to unanimously support the Argentine position based on UN Resolution 2065, which demands bilateral dialogue to resolve the conflict on the 180-year illegal occupation of the Islands”.

Finally Filmus argued what ‘is really behind all this’, British colonialism.

“Appealing to ‘the Islanders right to self-determination’ behind we find the true interests of the UK: having a powerful military base in a strategic zone of the South Atlantic; to take over rich natural resources in the region and to consolidate its pretensions over the Antarctic territory”, concluded the Senator.