MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Malvinas Argentine sovereignty was always promoted by Fidel Castro

“I was defending the Malvinas claim since 1948. Over sixty years ago, as a university student I started to defend the Malvinas cause” confessed Fidel Castro

Despite the political changes experienced by Argentina during the XXth century, the leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro always supported Argentine sovereignty over the Falkland/Malvinas Islands in international forae and in public statements, it has been recalled in Buenos Aires.

 “I was defending the Malvinas claim since 1948. Over sixty years ago, as a university student I started to defend the Malvinas cause” confessed the deceased leader in his biography, “Fidel Castro Ruz, Guerrilla of his time” written by the Cuban journalist Katiuska Blanco Castiñeira.

In all the forae and conferences Fidel Castro attended, he supported Argentina's demands that the UK abide by UN General Assembly Resolution 2065, from 1965, in which the dispute was acknowledged and called for both sides to begin dialogue.

“Cuba, despite the ideological and political differences with different Argentine governments, never hesitated in supporting the just demand from the noble Argentine people” pointed out the ex Cuban president during the opening of the VII summit of Non Aligned Countries in 1983.

In his speech Castro criticized ”the colonial war of Mrs. Thatcher (then UK prime minister)“ and described the ”events in Malvinas as a relevant moment in the development of a Latin American conscience“.

However years later, 1994, Castro criticized the decision of the military dictator Leopoldo Galtieri of appealing to military force to recover sovereignty over the Falkland/Malvinas Islands. ”But why did war take place in Malvinas?“ Quite simple, the US was employing Argentine army Battalion 401 for its dirty war in Nicaragua and El Salvador. And they were so pleased and sure of the brilliant and grateful services rendered to the US that they believed it was time to occupy the Malvinas. But this has nothing to do with the legitimate rights of Argentina over the Malvinas which we have always defended, all our lives”.

“But the Argentine military felt it was time to charge the US for services rendered in Central America and to have them support that crazy adventure”, added Castro who nevertheless during the 1982 conflict had offered the Junta, military equipment to attack the UK.

On 10 April 1982 during a meeting in Government House (Casa Rosada) then Cuban ambassador Emilio Aragonés Navarro had clearly transmitted Galtieri “a very specific proposal” from Cuba “to do what was necessary” including sending a submarine.

“Argentina will never forget, not now or for many years” was the reply from Galtieri who asked the diplomat to tell Fidel Castro how grateful Argentina was with his “spontaneous, determined and firm” help offer.

In February 2012, Fidel Castro defined the Malvinas as “that piece of land grabbed from Argentina and where the British pretend to extract oil”.

“There's nothing left for them to discuss, but to leave. It is so cheeky what they have done: they even sent a small vessel, a destroyer, a helicopter with a prince who is a pilot” Castro was quoted at the time in reference to the British Task Force sent “to the South Atlantic on military exercises”.