MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Malvinas veteran reminds Congress that “war was useless, let us not spoil peace”

Roberto Curilovic underlined the work and commitment of Argentine businessman Eduardo Eurnekian (Pic Infobae)

An Argentine former naval pilot and Malvinas veteran who recently visited the Falkland Islands came out in support of Argentine ambassador in London Carlos Sersale di Cerisiano, who has been strongly criticized and summoned by his country's congress for having referred to Falklands/Malvinas government as the Islands' “top authorities”.

“I know the ambassador and of his efforts to advance the humanitarian project for the identification of the fallen in Malvinas, and to give peace to their relatives. The effort is to bring together and relate, because if you don't build bridges you won't get nowhere. I did not feel aggravated by the ambassador's words, but rather grateful”, said Roberto Curivolic.

“You can't spend your time trying to demerit all the effort and all that was achieved simply because of this or that wording. That has no influence on sovereignty. It's my personal position, not that of the foreign ministry or from politics. I would describe these questionings as 'political opportunism', and it hurts me most. We are harming that relation and it could backfire for the possibility of next of kin and other visits. The war was useless, let us not spoil peace”, underlined the ex naval pilot.

Curilovic also underlined the work and commitment of Argentine businessman Eduardo Eurnekian, responsible for the construction of the Argentine military cemetery in Darwin plus financing the trip of relatives from the identified combatants to the Falklands.

“Having helped the next of kin so that they can have a place to honor their beloved is the result of collaboration, a collaboration of British ambassadors, of the Malvinas Families and of course Don Eduardo who made the mission, his”.

He added that “the fact that this has been a private initiative is unique in the world, since it always involves governments and here it was different. That is why it was achieved, these mothers had to wait for 36 years and that is too much”.

Curilovic believes the attitude of the Argentine congress towards ambassador Sersale will not endanger the advance of joint tasks with the UK, but it can create “an uncomfortable situation”.

However, “I know of the efforts that made all this possible. And the important fact is that before we had 121 gravestones which said ”Argentine soldier, only known upon God“ and now with all these efforts and Don Eduardo's dedication we have 106 identified remains, where the mothers can now lay a flower and pray next to their beloved. You only had to see the faces of satisfaction and how grateful they were, even when they had to wait for 36 years”.

Finally the ex navy pilot insisted that opportunism is not the path, “I don't accept it, nor do the veterans or the Families commission. Maybe it's hard for them to speak out, maybe they don't have the space they deserve, but I'm sure they will coincide with what I have said. I'm only asking not to destroy what we are trying to build and advance. Too many years of efforts are involved”.

Argentina's Congress is demanding that ambassador Sersale di Cerisiano face questions over a recent statement on social media in which he referred to members of the Falkland Islands' government as the Islands' “top authorities”.

“Collaboration, gratefulness and a summit meeting in the Malvinas: Eduardo Eurnekian was welcomed by the Islands' top authorities”, Sersale wrote in Spanish. The tweet included a link to an Infobae.com article whose feature image was a photograph of the Argentine businessman Eurnekian with Falklands' Governor Nigel Phillips and the British Ambassador to Argentina Mark Kent.

The diplomat's statement prompted immediate outrage in Buenos Aires and saw the Argentine Embassy in London deleting the tweet just hours after it was first posted on Friday. Sersale said he “deeply regretted the confusion” his comments had caused.

”I wish to reiterate that the legitimate authorities of the Malvinas, South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands and the maritime area around them are the National Government (of Argentina) and Tierra del Fuego Government“, he wrote in a column published on Infobae.com. The news portal suggested the Ambassador has expressed his willingness to address Congress if summoned. Congress on initiative from lawmaker Elisa Carrió, a close ally of president Mauricio Macri, will also request that foreign minister Jorge Faurie attends the summons given what she considers statements are detrimental to Argentine sovereignty rights over the Falklands.

Minister Faurie also had problems in the recent past when a visit to London and during an interview he referred to the Falklands issue as an approach that ”needs to generate a link as two peoples, like a nation we are in the South Atlantic”