MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Macri's Falklands policy and the Foradori/Duncan pact were “shameful”

“We've always gone for dialogue and diplomacy, but we can't drop something which belongs to us...” said Guillermo Justo Chavez

President Mauricio Macri's Malvinas question policy was “shameful” and the three bills sent to Congress to reaffirm Argentina State Malvinas claim policy, represent a drastic change in the “de-Malvinization process” of the last four years, explained Guillermo Justo Chavez, head of the foreign minister Felipe Solá's cabinet.

“The three bills were a pending debt and trigger a drastic change in Argentine foreign policy following four years of ”de-Malvinization“ under the Macri era, and its largest symbol was the Foradori-Duncan pact”, Chavez said.

“The three bills which we expect Congress to approve will reaffirm Argentina's sovereignty claim over the Malvinas, South Georgia, South Sandwich islands and the adjoining maritime spaces”

The three initiatives, the National Advisory Council on Malvinas Policies, demarcation of the external border of the continental shelf beyond the 200 miles and higher sanctions for illegal fishing in Argentine waters, contrasts with the “shameful policy of Macri”.

“We've always gone for dialogue and diplomacy, but we can't drop something which belongs to us and this is clearly understood by the Argentines”, Chavez insists, adding that “the previous government has betrayed our long Malvinas tradition to claim sovereignty over our Islands”.

Chavez continues, “We want to recover that demand, the claim our rights”. The demarcation of the external border of the continental shelf, beyond the 200 miles is something that has already been acknowledged by the UN and “refers to our sovereignty rights over the ocean soil and subsoil, and represents double our current territory”.

Likewise the modification of the Fisheries Federal Regime will implement an update of fines for illegal fishing in the South Atlantic, and the creation of the Malvinas policies council is to be multi discipline and multi sector organization. The bill has ten articles and the Council will depend directly from the Executive. “This will not only support our national identity regarding the Malvinas, but it will also help prevent the usurpers from taking advantage of our territory for the exploitation of natural resources”.

Article 2 of the Council bill with its five items should contribute in generating the necessary political and social consensus to design and implement State policies with the purpose of making effective the full exercise of sovereignty over the Malvinas, South Georgia, South Sandwich islands and adjoining maritime spaces.

Besides it should collaborate in “sustaining” the elaboration of the Argentine position in the sovereignty dispute, referred to “geographic, environmental, historic, judicial and political” issues, as well as proposing standing acknowledgement for Malvinas veterans, those fallen in combat and their next of kin.

Under Article 3, the Council will be made up of the Argentine president, who will chair it, plus the Foreign minister, and a Lower house Senate member for each of the three main blocks with congressional representation in each of the two Houses.

”The Council will also include Tierra del Fuego governor, two experts in International Law, three outstanding representatives from academia and sciences, and a representative from the Malvinas Veterans. Its members can be reelected and will remain in their posts five years. They will write their own internal rules to operate.

The Council will adopt its recommendations, non binding and on consensus, and can delegate their participation in meetings and activities in the framework of the Council, and those who are delegate representatives, will act in ad honorem condition.

Finally the Council will have an Executive Coordination, represented by the Foreign ministry's Malvinas Secretariat, and will operate according to the their Internal rules and regulations.