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Macri downplays chat with May, “it was no formal meeting”, just “a nice gesture from the prime minister”

Thursday, September 22nd 2016 - 07:15 UTC
Full article 23 comments
“You can't convert a chat of less than a minute in an official encounter”, Macri told the Argentine media and insisted it was “essential to lower the level of anxiety” “You can't convert a chat of less than a minute in an official encounter”, Macri told the Argentine media and insisted it was “essential to lower the level of anxiety”
Macri described PM Theresa May's attitude at the banquet hosted by Ban Ki-moon as “a gesture”. Macri described PM Theresa May's attitude at the banquet hosted by Ban Ki-moon as “a gesture”.
In his first speech to the UN General Assembly Macri effectively called on UK to begin a dialogue on the Falklands/Malvinas question. In his first speech to the UN General Assembly Macri effectively called on UK to begin a dialogue on the Falklands/Malvinas question.

Argentine president Mauricio Macri on Wednesday downplayed the chat with PM Theresa May on Tuesday at the UN banquet in New York saying it was “no formal or official meeting”, but nevertheless underlined the “good predisposition” for dialogue which Argentina had lost during the last twelve years and anticipated that the Falklands/Malvinas Islands question “will demand many years”.

 “You can't convert a chat of less than a minute in an official encounter”, Macri told the Argentine media and insisted that it was “essential to lower the level of anxiety” and requested the media keeps to the “context”.

Nevertheless Macri described PM Theresa May's attitude at the banquet hosted by Ban Ki-moon as “a gesture”.

“At the end of the day yesterday's informal chat with the British PM was good, it meant we have started a dialogue”, insisted the Argentine president who is expected back in Buenos Aires on Thursday.

In his first speech to the UN General Assembly Macri effectively called on UK to begin a dialogue on the Falklands/Malvinas question.

Macri explained that at the event “that all heads of state and government shared, PM Theresa May approached me, from the next table, to greet me and said that she hoped that in the future we could sit to dialogue, and I replied that Argentina was ready for an open dialogue which includes all issues, including sovereignty”

“She said she thought it was reasonable, but clearly it was not an official encounter. We met standing up next to a table and it didn't last two minutes”, pointed out Macri who underlined the gesture showed “the good intention and good predisposition from both sides to retake a dialogue that had been lost”.

Further on with time, “we will have to address an official work agenda, which will take years but what is important is that we've started, since the last twelve years, were lost years”.

“We Argentines are convinced that with time, yes or yes, what UN and so many other countries have supported, will confirm our sovereignty over the Malvinas Islands”.

As to the joint statement on cooperation with UK, and which has triggered controversy in the Argentine congress including among the government's allies, Macri requested that “we learn to manage our anxieties”, and insisted it is “only a set of good intentions”. He confirmed that foreign minister Susana Malcorra will be going to Congress to explain the terms and scope of the statement's text.

The Argentine president concluded saying that it is essential to lower anxieties since the issue will take many years and the path is dialogue.

“Dialogue for us is the main axis of action of a democratic Argentina foreign policy”.

Top Comments

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  • gordo1

    I think we must all shout to Macri that THE UNITED NATIONS HAS NEVER SUPPORTED THE ARGENTINE CLAIM TO SOVEREIGNTY OF THE FALKLAND ISLANDS.

    However, dialogue HAS been promoted and the meaningless and toothless UN Special Committee on Decolonisation has mumbled about the matter for several years but as the several British Overseas Territories on their list of territories for decolonization are quite happy with the “status quo” nobody takes any notice - except Argentina.

    Sep 22nd, 2016 - 07:52 am 0
  • James Marshall

    So put the conversation in the right order......

    ”....from the next table, to greet me and said that she hoped that in the future we could sit to dialogue, and I replied that Argentina was ready for an open dialogue which includes all issues, including sovereignty”

    as opposed to yesterday's quotes....

    “During lunch yes, I greeted Theresa May, we came across with the UK prime minister and I told her I was ready to begin an open dialogue which obviously includes the issues of the Malvinas Islands sovereignty”

    and then...

    “Yes, we should begin talking” the UK leader told Macri, and although it was a process that would take years, the good thing was for it to begin. “I emphasized that for us its was the main issue, since they belong”

    It is amazing what context does for a conversation.
    Is this the fault of the Arg. press for changing the sequence or Marci's wishful thinking. After all some Argentines have a problem with recounting exactly what happened in the past....they claim many things, but how many are true!

    So Think has disappeared for a few days since this embarrassing debacle and we get Hektor turn up spouting straight from the Malvanista song book. Coincidence? Deflection?

    Oops, off to refill my pop corn.

    Sep 22nd, 2016 - 08:35 am 0
  • Lord Lucan

    Yes, we have no Malvinas, we have no Malvinas today!
    We've got Pitcairn, Helena, Gib and Bermuda
    Antarctic, South Georgia we say
    Just like the tom a to
    We got no isles you can go to
    Oh yes, we have no Malvinas, we have no Malvinas today!

    Sep 22nd, 2016 - 08:52 am 0
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