MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Taking a positive Falklands message to Brazil

Brazilian visitors Clarita Maia Simon, Joanisval Brito Goncalves, Gustavo Bernard, Célia de Morais, Andrew Ford FCO

“Unthinkable, unacceptable and unsupportable” was how Joanisval Brito Goncalves, Senior Legilslative Counselor for International Affairs and Defence Issues at the Brazilian Senate, described the Argentine government’s attitude to the Falkland/ Malvinas Islands in a press conference held in Stanley on Wednesday afternoon.

Brazilian visitors Clarita Maia Simon, Joanisval Brito Goncalves, Gustavo Bernard, Célia de Morais, Andrew Ford FCO.

Mr Goncalves was part of a four-person delegation of Brazilian congressional advisors in the Falklands this week as guests of the Falkland Islands Government, along with Political Adviser for Senator Luiz Henrique da Silveira, Célia de Morais, Gustavo Bernard, advisor to Senator Ana Amelia, and Legislative Consultant in International Relations and National Defense of the Federal Senate, Clarita Maia Simon.

Speaking to representatives of local media, the Brazilian visitors exhibited a high degree of excitement about the possibility of cultural and commercial links developing between their country Brazil and the Falkland Islands, about which, as Célia de Morais admitted, almost nothing was known in her country.

Referring to the Falkland Islands as “a developing country” Clarita Maia Simon said that her country’s constitution included a positive duty to promote the self-determination of all the peoples of the geographical region to which Brazil and the Falkland Islands belong.

Referring to the Falkland Islands as “this pearl in the South Atlantic” which was clearly not Argentine, Mr Goncalves said that the delegation would be presenting an honest and un-biased report of their findings in the Falklands and would be hoping to bring “a different view” to their political masters back in Brazil.

Such is the lack of information about the Falkland Islands in Brazil that Célia de Morais said that on arrival the delegation had no idea of what they were going to find, but asserted that the visit represented “a seed which could produce much fruit.”

While admitting the pressure that Argentina could bring to bear on Brazil with regard to any development which might go against that country’s negative policy towards the Islands, and accepting that any change in these attitudes might take a long time, Gustavo Bernard said that, at the same time, the importance of Argentina to Brazil should not be over-estimated.

In terms of importance to the Brazilian economy, China was at this moment far more important than Argentina, which fact had not prevented Brazil also having a successful working relationship with Taiwan, a territory subject to a sovereignty claim by China. Finally the delegates said they could not foresee any situation in which Brazil would be party to a maritime blockade of the Islands.

John Fowler - Stanley