MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Falklands/Malvinas soldiers' remains: Argentine delegation meets Red Cross chief
Argentina's Foreign Ministry Secretary for Malvinas affairs Ambassador Daniel Filmus, and Argentine ambassador before international organizations in Geneva, Alberto D'Alotto, met on Thursday with the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Peter Maurer, to address the issue of identifying the remains of 123 soldiers Argentine fallen during the South Atlantic conflict in 1982 and buried in the Argentine cemetery at Darwin, in the Falkland Islands. Read full article
Comments
Disclaimer & comment rulesInsofar as this matter is concerned surely there is no BRITISH(Government) counterpart as jurisdiction is with the Falkland Islands Government.
Nov 07th, 2015 - 09:34 am - Link - Report abuse 0But the this article commences with “According to the official Argentine release, at the meeting in Geneva, Argentine representatives reiterated the request made by President Cristina Fernández, in 2012, for the Red Cross to collaborate in the identification process of the remains. ”
What more can we expect but nonsense from Argentina? As usual!
Tiitlemouse is jumping the gun a bit if he thinks any ID work would be done by an Argentine team! he has overlooked a little FACT - final decision and control rests with - and ONLY with - the Falkland Islands Govt - who will decide if - when -how and who does the work.
Nov 07th, 2015 - 09:48 am - Link - Report abuse 0IF and a big IF is that all relatives give the Ok for their loved ones being exhumed. My assumption would be that the FIG would ask the ICRC to find an independent authority to carry out the DNA sampling. The exhumed bones then can be DNA tested and stored and when identified ask the relatives if they want the bones repatriated, of course the Argie government would have to pay in U$S up front. It seems that the FIG preempted this fiasco about the “ fallen ”. Good one FIG.
Nov 07th, 2015 - 11:46 am - Link - Report abuse 0The Argentines realised that they were out-politicked by the Falkland Islands Government and are now trying desperately to rectify the situation.
Nov 07th, 2015 - 11:59 am - Link - Report abuse 0Of course at the meeting with the International Committee of the Red Cross President he would've told them that the ICRC has never received a request from TMBOA in 2012 or at any other time.
Because the ICRC are apolitical they won't comment on such things, which is why you get the inaccurate and bias report from Filmus.
However, I really doubt that the FIG would allow Argentines to disinter the bodies (I mean Argentine experts can't even keep a crime scene intact, or decide if someone was murdered or committed suicide), so an independent team would have to be tasked ( and payed for by Argentina).
Then, assuming they have permission from all the relatives, the bodies will be disinterred. However, once disinterred the FIG are under NO obligation to reinter them, especially since Argentina insists on using their war dead as a political tool.
So if they wished, the FIG could demand (yes Argentina demand) that the bodies be returned to Argentina so the Argentine government can show the people of Argentina just how much they 'respect' the war dead. Any refusal by Argentina to take the bodies would show the world just what kind of people Argentines are, and the bodies could be given a full military funeral at sea.
No more graves for the 'relatives' to visit. No more ability for the Argentine government to use the war dead for cheap political stunts and gain.
@2. Let's hope that Mike Summers insists that no argies will be allowed on the Islands, that no flags are displayed except that of the Red Cross and that the individual permissions of all the relevant families have to be produced and authenticated before the first spade touches the soil.
Nov 07th, 2015 - 12:08 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Of course, I still have a preference for the entire contents of the graveyard to be dug up and shipped off the Islands.
@4
Nov 07th, 2015 - 12:10 pm - Link - Report abuse 0I concur completely with your comments, yes the Argies were outsmarted by FIG, can't wait for Enriques' take on this , will be some spin.
Just think. If the Argentineans had been smart in the first place, and left the Falklands alone, there would have been no need for their petty politics and distress to all concerned today.
Nov 07th, 2015 - 09:54 pm - Link - Report abuse 0@7 Think? Thats an oxymoron! (Or is it just a moron?)
Nov 07th, 2015 - 11:13 pm - Link - Report abuse 0@6 golfcronie
Nov 08th, 2015 - 02:06 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Enrique and the 'usual' suspects are extremely conspicuous by their absence on this thread.
Still no statement from the ICRC then, of any kind, no confirmation of the agreement of ALL the relatives and a wish to proceed.
Nov 08th, 2015 - 02:40 pm - Link - Report abuse 0The mechanics of this will be no problem for the ICRC, who have done things like this too many times before under much more difficult circumstances.
Filmus must know all this yet he continues to try and make political capital from the situation, at the emotional expense of the relatives being ask to make what maybe a very difficult decision.
No pressure on the relatives then Mr Filmus, imagined points for you for Brit bashing.
This man and this GoA are beneath contempt.
Highly amusing. Where we lead Filmus follows. Lightweight.
Nov 08th, 2015 - 05:19 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Reeeekie writes: “Here It is, all the issues of a nation of forty-some million people explained in just seven words. We are all liars.”
Nov 09th, 2015 - 05:43 pm - Link - Report abuse 0http://en.mercopress.com/2015/05/15/cristina-fernandez-comes-out-strongly-in-defense-of-minister-kicillof
“Filmus stressed the strictly humanitarian nature of the work and requested the possibility that the task could be started next summer, taking into account that 32 years have elapsed since the families' demand to know the fate of their beloved ones.”
Nov 09th, 2015 - 06:46 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Actually 32 years ago the Argentine Government refused to acknowledge an offer from the UK Government to return the bodies of the dead. Families could have made visual identification and buried their loved ones where they could tend their graves. Instead Argentina made a political point our of refusing to have them home. They did not request identification 32 years ago, but two years ago.
Strictly humanitarian ??? I leave others to judge.
LOL
Nov 09th, 2015 - 08:16 pm - Link - Report abuse 0https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpRdyVe7VC0
“ The head of ICRC pointed out that the next step, in case of agreement with the British and Falklands' counterpart, would be to send a Red Cross technical assessment mission to prepare, on the field, for such activities deployment.”
Nov 09th, 2015 - 08:54 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Lol. I bet that made Filmus wince.
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