MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Malvinas debate: Ambassador Castro describes PM Cameron as ‘a fool and completely useless’

Militant Ambassador Castro (R) is again trying to have the Argentine pope involved in the Falklands’ dispute (Pic DYN)

During a debate on the “Malvinas Question”, Argentine ambassador to the United Kingdom Alicia Castro launched a strong attack on Prime Minister David Cameron describing him as “a fool, dumb, and completely useless” politician, because of his comments when the election of Pope Francis.

The Argentine militant diplomat shared her criticism at a forum on the 'Malvinas Question', alongside international rights specialist Marcelo Kohen, which was held on Tuesday in the Argentine Congress Senate's International Affairs Commission.

”We are extremely lucky to have an Argentine, 'Malvinero' Pope. Above all because Prime Minister Cameron was so foolish, dumb and completely useless when (Buenos Aires Cardinal Jorge) Bergoglio was named Pope: because he let slip that Bergoglio had made a historic speech about the Malvinas” the ambassador underlined.

At the time of Francis election President Cristina Fernandez and her foreign policy strategists were ecstatic because they had a pope whom they described as “a strong supporter of the Argentine Malvinas claim”.

It emerged that a year before (30th anniversary of the Argentine military invasion and occupation of the Falklands), as Buenos Aires cardinal, Bergoglio held a special mass for Malvinas veterans in which he was quoted saying that: “We have come to pray for those who have fallen far from the motherland; who left to defend the motherland and to claim what was usurped from them”.

The British government reaction was to suggest that if the new pope was to be involved in the dispute, he should look at the March referendum ‘white smoke’ results in the Falklands when an overwhelming turnout of 92% and 98% support for remaining as a British Overseas Territory.

Following the exchange there was an official comment saying that the Vatican's long-held position is of non intervention in the Falklands/Malvinas dispute between Argentina and the UK, because it is a matter for sovereign states, and ‘this position has not changed’.

Ambassador Castro further signalled that the British stance over the disputed Falklands/Malvinas islands is “no more than imperialism and colonialism,” and that “it derives from the imperial politics of the UK and their need to hold a strategic position in the South Atlantic that gives them dominion of the seas”.

Finally the Argentine diplomat said that the Falklands March referendum “was extraordinarily useful for us” because is evidence to show the world and common people that the London position on the dispute “is not rational”.