MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Malvinas bilateral sovereignty negotiations are 'inevitable' because of growing world consensus

Filmus recalls its fifty years since the famous UN resolution calling for bilateral dialogue on the Malvinas issue

Bilateral negotiations with the UK over the Falklands/Malvinas Islands sovereignty are 'inevitable' because of the growing international pressure and consensus among countries, forecasted Daniel Filmus head of the Argentine Foreign ministry Malvinas Islands Affairs Office. His statement comes on the 32nd anniversary of the Argentine military invasion on the Falklands in 1982.

 “Caribbean countries, some of them Commonwealth members are already voting in support of Argentina on the issue, according to the UN resolutions”, said Filmus who nevertheless pointed out that not all of them accept all of Argentina's arguments, “but believe that the UK must sit down to discuss the situation”. And this is extensive to the European and Latin American parliaments.

Regarding alleged UK fears of an Argentine re-armament with the purchase by Argentina of fighter bombers, Filmus brushed aside the claims saying “they are part of the English lobby to keep their military base in Malvinas, 14.000 kilometers away from the metropolis”

“No democracy has a military objective, and I'm not speaking for this government but for all governments since 1983. Each time Argentina has appealed to dialogue and at this stage it is clear which side is acting with arrogance”.

“Don't let the British take advantage of Argentine politics to justify their arms policy: Malvinas is the place with more guns per capita in the world”, in direct reference to MPA.

Filmus also recalled that this year is the fiftieth anniversary of the UN resolution which calls on sides to sit and dialogue over the Falklands/Malvinas sovereignty, which was achieved by the government of then Argentine president Arturo Illia who belonged to the country's main opposition party.

“It's fifty years since the famous Ruda report when the Malvinas issue was integrally addressed, and it was done by another party in government and we are proud of that, because the Malvinas question is a state policy”, underlined the official.

Filmus then attacked the UK on the “self determination right” which the British defend and support in the South Atlantic, but which “they deny its exercise in 88% of all votes taken in the UN”.

“The UK double standard is traditional, the last case was when it voted against self determination for French Polynesia”. Filmus insisted that the UN resolutions establish a difference with other colonialism cases since the Islanders are an 'implanted population'.

In the case of the Malvinas Islands, “it's Argentina that has been deprived of sovereignty rights, we are the victims”. Filmus then claimed that “the English invasions of 1806 and 1807 where the unquestionable attempts of Britain to turn Argentina into a British colony”.

“We recognize that the Islanders are British citizens, we're not discussing that, what we are discussing is sovereignty” said Filmus. The fact that 800.000 Italians live in Argentina does not mean they can claim it is Italian territory and the same could be said of the Welsh community in south Argentina.

“The 1994 Argentine constitution clearly establishes that the way of life of the Islanders must be respected, and the UN resolution is most precise: the interests of the Islanders must be respected but not the wishes. Argentina is committed to that”.

Regarding Filmus recent visit to the Vatican where he met with Argentine born Pope Francis, Filmus revealed yes “we talked about the need for dialogue and the double standard, but in no way did we request --since he is Argentine--, to adopt a position regarding Malvinas”.

The diplomatic agenda will seek international consensus for the bilateral dialogue, while the economy will take care of those responsible for exploiting Argentine resources without having been authorized by Buenos Aires.

Likewise the third task is to keep the Malvinas legacy alive, the legacy of the combatants, and ”we have a commitment for those lives to have significance and at the same time struggle for those same ideals of peace and diplomacy.