MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Falklands/Malvinas, a territorial integrity issue; a C24 visiting mission would have to be to Buenos Aires and London

Sending a visitors' mission would have to be to Bs As and London to emphasize, “Gentlemen, when are you going to sit and negotiate”, said Lasso Mendoza

The president of the UN Decolonization Special Committee (C24), Xavier Lasso Mendoza argued that the Falklands/Malvinas issue is a territorial integrity and sovereignty dispute between two countries, and since there is no subjugated people in the Islands, if a visiting mission is to be sent, it would have to be to Buenos Aires and London, with the simple message, ”when are you going to sit and begin negotiations?

 ”The UN has already worked on the (Falklands) issue, it's not an issue of self determination, there's no people in the islands that has not been able to express itself because of the administrative power, and thus a referendum is needed, such as in New Caledonia. What people is going to express itself? What we have is a territorial integrity and sovereign dispute issue between two countries. So if we accept the visitors' mission it will have to be to Buenos Aires and London to emphasize our exhort: Gentlemen, when are you going to sit and negotiate“, said the Ecudorian ambassador who admits to being a supporter of Argentina's position on the dispute, in an interview with the Buenos Aires media.

Xavier Lasso Mendoza also brushed aside the strong statements from Falklands' petitioner Mike Summers on Thursday questioning the UN Decolonization committee ”stance, morals and complicity“, during the hearing when the Islands case was addressed.

The C24 president admitted some have questioned the committee but he pointed out that C24 depends from the UN General Assembly, and thus is the most democratic forum of the UN, since the 193 members are equal and each has one vote, which does not happen at the Security Council with five permanent members and veto power.

”We've met with the so called administrative powers over the Malvinas issue and when we came across the UK ambassador he told us 'that's an obsolete committee'. But why are we obsolete, because we ask, when are you going to sit and discuss with Argentina?“, said Lasso Mendoza.

Regarding the success of the latest C24 meeting this week, C24 president said it was in effect positive, longer than expected, and it could be the consequence of having the patience, year after year of banging on the same issue, and therefore beginning to attract attention from others.

”Let's see, how come they are again on with this question (Malvinas)? For example this week we also addressed the Puerto Rico issue, which has as many uncomplied resolutions, and this year for the first time Russia joined in, something it hadn't done before. It all adds up...“

Asked whether 34 resolutions on the Malvinas issue calling for dialogue and with no answer didn't generate a feeling of impotence or frustration, Lasso Mendoza felt that giving time, time was the attitude.

”You can have a clock with no seconds ticking but minutes and hours will continue to run and a new dawn can be expected. It's the same feeling with these Malvinas resolutions, or with Puerto Rico or with those at the General Assembly condemning the blockade on Cuba, or on the recognition of Palestine. Today the US and Cuba are discussing to normalize relations, in which other forum could Palestinians or Cuba dennounce what is happening or to what they are exposed?”, concluded the interview with Pagina 12.