MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Malvinas alleged ‘militarization’ again the obsession of Cristina Fernandez at anti-nuclear conference

The Argentine president closed the ONAPAL conference in Buenos Aires

During an anti-nuclear weapon conference held in Buenos Aires, Argentine President Cristina Fernández criticised the right to veto used by the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council which she described as an “out of time” instrument and again attacked the UK for ‘sending nuclear submarines’ to the Falkland Islands and called for a region of peace in the South Atlantic.

“When one wants to solve a conflict and gives someone else the right to veto, surely the problem will not be solved. We live in a complicated world, with bad interpretations and you see the global powers' inability to solve conflicts that are making humanity bleed”, said Cristina Fernández at the closing ceremony of the Agency for the prohibition of nuclear weapons in Latinamerica and the Caribbean conference, OPANAL.

Likewise she called on the world and global powers to demand a “South Atlantic without nuclear weapons” and as “a zone of peace”, while regretting that London “insists on sending submarines” to Malvinas and does not abide UN resolutions to begin talks on the Falklands sovereignty. “They insist in arming the Malvinas, while Argentina is committed to a peaceful and diplomatic course”, said Cristina Fernandez.

“I’ve tried to have UN resolutions complied which is precisely that Argentina and UK sit down and start negotiations regarding the sovereignty controversy over the Malvinas, but not even that have we been able to achieve, and they insist in arming the Islands when we have repeatedly shown we are a peaceful nation”, pointed out the president who added that Argentina has no religious or racial conflicts and is profoundly compliant with International law.

The British embassy in Buenos Aires was quick to reply and said that “the allegations that the UK is militarizing the region are totally false. Our defence stance has not changed in years. The defence of the Islands represents 0.5% of the total UK defence budget and less than 0.1% of total government spending”.

“Every thing is possible in politics but ignoring reality” warned the Argentine leader in apparent reference to British PM Cameron, whom he did not mention, but then went on to say that “history continues” despite world changes and although “there is no longer the risk of a nuclear holocaust, there is yes of a social holocaust”, because of the ongoing ‘genocides’ and ‘strong political conflicts’.

“We have to arm ourselves, but with new ideas” and one of the challenges is precisely to rethink the multilateral organizations” such as the UN and also the IMF, concluded the president at the closing ceremony before delegates from 33 countries.