MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Falklands' address in Alejandro Betts new Argentine DNI and passport

Betts was given the new documents by governor Fabiana Ríos at the Argentine embassy before the UN

Former Falkland Islander Alejandro Betts was awarded on Friday an Argentine DNI and passport, with his alleged Falklands address, at an official ceremony at the Argentine UN embassy office in New York.

 The Argentine governor of the province of Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica and South Atlantic Islands Fabiana Ríos headed the ceremony in which Alejandro Betts received the DNI and passports, with Falklands' address, which makes him an “Islas Malvinas citizen”.

The ceremony took place a day after Betts acted as petitioner for Argentina before the UN Special Committee on Decolonization regarding the Falklands/Malvinas case.

“This is very emotional, because on a day like this, 32 years ago I arrived at my homeland and the great motherland which is the Argentine continent” said Betts who effectively had Argentine documents since 1982 when he abandoned the Falklands following the Argentine surrender and the end of the war.

However the difference with those documents is that in the new DNI and passport, the Argentine petitioner figures with his real address in Falklands/Malvinas.

”And since Malvinas originally belonged to our (Tierra del Fuego) province, this document is very special, with my name and real address in Puerto Argentino (Stanley), it is a very emotive day“ underlined Betts.

The former Falkland Islander thanked the Tierra del Fuego authorities and the Argentine Civil Registry for all their support in giving the documents a quick approval and delivery.

”I requested them only six weeks ago and it all concluded as a grand finale on the very day of the 32 years defending our legitimate rights as Argentines over the Malvinas Islands”, said Betts.

The ceremony also counted with the attendance of Foreign minister Hector Timerman; Argentine ambassador before UN, Maria Cristina Perceval and the Malvinas Affairs Secretary, Daniel Filmus.