MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Next visit of Malvinas relatives to the Falklands takes off on Wednesday 

The Argentine military cemetery at Darwin (Photo: Human Rights Secretariat)

Next Wednesday a group of relatives of Argentine soldiers fallen in the 1982 South Atlantic conflict and  whose remains were recently identified will be travelling to the Argentine military cemetery at Darwin in the Falkland Islands. Relatives will be able to mourn and pray next to the gravestones which now have the full name of their loved ones. A military ceremony will also be held to honor the Argentine soldiers buried at Darwin.

The trip is a repeat of last year's 26th March visit when 200 relatives of 90 identified soldiers traveled to the Islands, and for the first time were able to pray next to the identified remains with full names instead of the  black marble that during 36 years, simply read “Argentine soldier, only known upon God”.

Working on a humanitarian agreement between Argentina, UK and the Falklands, under the guidance of the International Red Cross Committee, so far 110 remains (out of 121/122) at the Darwin Argentine military cemetery have been identified, following the confirmation of DNA samples cross checking with those of next of kin.

On Wednesday some sixty relatives will be flying to the Falklands, the last to receive DNA positive identification of remains. They will be supported by a team of doctors, psychologists and social workers. Argentine Human Rights secretary Claudio Avruj, the head of the Malvinas Families Commission Maria Fernanda Araújo, former veterans of the conflict, retired British Colonel Geoffrey Cardoso and Julio Aro head of the Argentine organization “Don't forget me”, plus UK embassy staff in Buenos Aires will also be attending.     

“It will be a new encounter and healing trip”, said Ms Araujo whose brother Elbio was among the first to be identified. “We will continue to insist that these trips take place frequently and also include the relatives of the Cruiser General

Belgrano, who need to return to where she went down”

The group will take off from Ezeiza airport on Wednesday at 4:30 in the morning in a MD83 aircraft from Andes airline, the same company that flew last year's relatives. Once in the Falklands at Mount Pleasant Airport, the relatives and delegation will be driven some 35 kilometers to the cemetery at Darwin where 237 Argentine combatants are buried. 

Eighteen hours later the group will be back in Buenos Aires. All expenses of the trip of the sixty relatives will be paid by Corporacion America, the Argentine corporation which belong s to Eduardo Eurnekian, who also financed the Argentine memorial in the Falklands which holds the Argentine military cemetery at Darwin.