MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentina/Falklands “constructive spirit” will be tested at the UN C24 presentations

Argentine president Mauricio Macri and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during the recent meeting held in Quebec

The constructive spirit and pragmatic attitude towards Argentina/United Kingdom relations and shared interests seems to have spilled positively to international forae, for example the latest OAS general assembly declaration regarding the Malvinas Islands, which does not mention “militarization of the South Atlantic or nuclear arms”, as was common in the Kirchner couple years, and rather keeps to the traditional annual disputed sovereignty claim under the umbrella of the United Nations.

 Something similar can be said about this weekend's statement on the “Argentine rights over Malvinas Islands”, other South Atlantic islands and an Antarctica sector. This does not mean Islanders should feel relieved or cease their international campaign, particularly in the region, to have their right to self determination recognized, as was clearly exercised and expressed in the 2013 referendum with an overwhelming turnout voting to continue as a British Overseas Territory.

In effect Canada which has been one of the very few to recognize the results of the referendum, and also helped to finance and promote with foreign observers, apparently had changed its firewall stand in support of the Falklands for a more mild see-and-wait attitude as the new constructive spirit evolves.

Some analysts claim this is because of the Liberal administration of Justin Trudeau and even a closer relation between the Canadian leader and president Mauricio Macri. What sounds more plausible is that Argentina is intent in “integrating to the world” and be considered a serious, reliable partner, advancing relations and cooperation with the UK in those areas of shared interest both in the South Atlantic and in the rest of the world. Likewise removing ideology from the country's commitment to development, fair trade, multilateralism, combating poverty, climate change and respecting the environment.

However it must not be forgotten that at the recent OAS general assembly in Washington the declaration in support of Argentina was sponsored by Brazil and Bolivia, in the extremes of the current ideological arch of Latin America: the conservative government of president Temer removed the populist Dilma Rousseff, and Bolivia, which together with Uruguay remain the only supporters, from different angles, of the Venezuelan regime of Maduro.

Anyhow another test of this new constructive spirit will be taking place at the end of the month in the United Nations Decolonization or C24 meeting where Argentina and Falklands representatives will be making presentations. No surprises can be expected at the end of the round since the UN C24 is not necessarily an example of common sense or fairness, rather the contrary, but the tone and attitudes will be fathomed, plus the fact that the self proclaimed “international law and history expert, one time hero of the Argentine media”, Alejandro Betts, apparently has been delisted as petitioner from the Argentine delegation.

Nevertheless other events are evolving in Tierra del Fuego where governor Rosana Bertone signed provincial bill 1222 creating the Secretary of State for the official representation in the Malvinas question. This in other words means the province of Tierra del Fuego, which nominally includes the Falklands and a sector of Antarctica, will be advising the federal government in issues referred to the Falklands, South Atlantic islands and adjoining maritime spaces. The purpose of the bill is not only to advise Buenos Aires but to promote Tierra del Fuego sovereign rights on the insular territories before international and multilateral organizations.

And Bertone also appointed as head of the recently created Secretariat, Jorge Argüello, who was Argentine ambassador before the UN between 2007 and 2011. Ambassador in Washington 2011/13 and in Portugal 2013/15. During his diplomatic performance in the UN and Washington he was no fan of the Falklands, and went to claim on record that Falkland Islanders had voted in the 2013 referendum at gun point in favor of UK. He added that in really free elections, UN monitored, Falkland Islanders would enthusiastically abandon their poverty conditions to embrace the Argentine option.