MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Brazilian lawmaker wants closer ties with 'Falklands' and even considers 'a friendship forum'

Celso Maldaner belongs to the strongest electoral party in Brazil and main ally of the ruling coalition headed by president Rousseff

Brazilian federal Deputy for the southern state of Santa Catarina Celso Maldaner who last week visited the Falkland Islands said he wants to 'influence and push' for a commercial opening of Brazil with the Islands, since he believes there is great potential for making business particularly regarding fisheries and tourism.

 In an interview with the Spanish government news agency Efe, Maldaner who belongs to the main electoral party in Brazil, the PMDB, Brazilian Democratic Movement party, which is the senior ally of President Dilma Rousseff's coalition pointed out he was speaking from a personal point of view, nevertheless he strongly supports Brazil trading with the Falklands.

Brazil supports Argentina's sovereignty claim over the disputed Falklands/Malvinas Islands, a British Overseas Territory, and Maldaner during the interview referred to the Islands, as 'Falklands'.

The Brazilian government considers Argentina a strategic partner, and one of its main foreign policy objectives and thus support for the Malvinas claim, although in private President Rousseff has admitted that “you need strategic patience to deal with the Argentines”.

“You can't make politics looking at the rear view mirror”, said Maldaner who insisted that he plans to influence policy so that Brazil changes its position and takes advantage of the trade opportunities and tourism openings of the Falklands.

Maldaner was recently in the Falklands on an official mission sponsored by the British embassy in Brazil and described his tour of the Islands and treatment received, as that 'given to a head of state'.

The Brazilian lawmaker met with the Falklands' governor Colin Roberts and the eight elected members of the Legislative Assembly, and is all cases “I found a strong desire of local authorities for closer relations with Brazil”.

“One of the ideas I came back with was the possibility of creating, at congressional level ”a forum of friendship between Brazil and the Falklands“.

”I pretend to influence looking ahead, not into the past“, said Maldaner who went even further and suggested that maybe someday ”we can have the Falklands as part of Mercosur”, the block made up of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela.

However diplomatic sources in Brasilia pointed out that the trip of lawmaker Maldaner to the Falklands caused concern in the Argentine government and allegedly the issue was brought up during the recent visit of Foreign minister Mauro Vieira to Buenos Aires two weeks ago.

The invitation to visit the Falklands was extended by the British embassy to Maldaner last December.