MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Falklands' return humanitarian flight: ample media coverage to the cancelling by Argentina
Argentina alleges that the flight back from MPC to Montevideo was scheduled to bring a fishing crew, and thus the “flight ceased to be humanitarian” The Argentine government decision to impede a return humanitarian flight from Montevideo to Mount Pleasant Complex in the Falkland Islands received ample coverage in the Uruguayan and Argentine media.
The chartered flight of Amaszonas had requested authorization to cross Argentine air space, which was denied with the corresponding recommendation to the Uruguayan Civil Aviation Administration, which was accepted.
The request was for transporting a born Islander and a couple of Islands' residents to their homes, following medical attention in the British Hospital in Montevideo. The humanitarian flight had been originally approved by Argentine authorities, but the return became complicated since the Amaszonas aircraft, after delivering the Islanders, was scheduled to fly to Montevideo with some twenty plus fishermen, who worked for the international companies operating in Falklands waters with Falklands licenses, which Argentina strongly rejects.
This was the definitive factor for denying the flight to cross Argentine air space, meaning the three Islanders have been left stranded in Montevideo.
A spokesperson for the Argentine foreign ministry pointed out that the flight was not cancelled or prohibited. The non authorization of the flight refers to the fishing crew which would mean “the flight is not humanitarian and besides contributes to ”illegal“ fishing activities in Argentine waters”.
Since the current Argentine president Alberto Fernandez took office last December the policy towards the Falkland Islands and other South Atlantic islands and surrounding maritime spaces has been far more aggressive, very much the pattern of the administration of ex president Cristina Kirchner. Cristina is currently vice president and according to the Buenos Aires media is running the show since the votes belong to her and her faithful hold the critical posts in the cabinet, Congress and much of the administration.
The Argentine congress recently approved, unanimously, three bills referred to the Falklands and fisheries. One of them creates a Malvinas Advisory Council which depends from the Executive and is made up of members from government, opposition, veterans, and academia. A second bill extends the Argentine continental shelf from 200 to 350 miles, in the framework of the UN Law of the Sea, and finally a fisheries bill which hikes fines for illegal fishing in Argentine waters. Fines are based on vessels' fuel, anywhere from 300,000 to a million liters, plus the costs of escorting the poaching vessel to an Argentine port.
Under the previous administration of president Maurico Macri, the approach was more constructive and friendly, although never dropping the sovereignty claim over the Falklands. In September 2016, Argentina and UK signed a communiqué to improve political relations with a special chapter on the South Atlantic which addressed several of the demands from the Islanders. This allowed the resumption of joint scientific fisheries cruises, a more lax policy of charter flights and most important opened the way for the humanitarian task of identifying the remains of Argentine soldiers buried in the Falklands since the conflict of 1982. Under the guidance of the International Red Cross, and consent from the Falklands' people, an international forensics team managed to give names to some 110 of 122/23 grave stones which for several decades simply read “Argentine soldier, only known to God”. This was followed by several flights of Argentine next of kin to the Islands to cry and pray next to their loved ones.
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Read all commentsNo Big Surprise, These actions are just going back to the way Argentina behaved before and the results will still be the same !!! the Islanders will Adapt and Overcome the Challenges placed before them as they have done for Decades !!
Aug 20th, 2020 - 08:31 am +3You sure get through a lot of gripe Think.
Aug 20th, 2020 - 09:24 pm +3As it happens most of those stranded folk are from Russia and are they not your allies.
What I do see from your whinging is that you are extremely jealous of how successful we kelpers are.
What is even nicer is that we are over here enjoying the bounty while you are stuck over there in a debt laden country that has nothing to actually do anything about what we do and that is the whole reason why you get so worked up.
Also as we type those humanitarian folk are sailing right up the coast of Argentina in international waters and the best bit is they are heading for Uruguay to connect with the same flights back to their homes.
I am proud to be a falkland islander that shares the same humanitarian feelings that our fishing businesses have towards their people and in deed any other individual that is currently stick because of covid.
Argentina cares little for their own people let alone compassion for foreigners.
So go sit somewhere quietly and have a nice cup of British tea it will soothe away those hatred thoughts.
Then write to the international court of justice and explain to them your feelings about those pesky hard working honest kelpers that did not remove an indigenous people to settle the land.
Then when their ruling is made accept it and stop getting yourself in a frenzy.
Right I now must away and have that nice cup of tea my good lady just made for me. Have a pleasant evening you old war monger.
Humanitarian means absolutely nothing to Argentina. When you can make disappear more than twenty thousand of your own people and remove an indigenous people to acquire land proves they do not care for humanity.
Aug 20th, 2020 - 10:30 am +2What they care for is human greed that is a major part of their history.
Denying the right for stranded fisherman to get back to their countries because of a world pandemic is the lowest of the low of a government who has no interest in humanity.
One day the rest of the world will wake up to the fact that Argentina is not the free loving country it portrays itself to be but one of aggression and no compassion for others.
They even try to control their neighbouring countries when they are attempting to show humanitarian and business relations with Falkland Islanders.
Argentina is a rogue land grabbing country who thinks they can get everything they want using foul means.
The Falkland islands people know this and will continue to operate their economy how they please and simply go round this dictator.
The one thing the islanders have that Argentina does not is a healthy reserve so using more expensive options is feasible and Argentina who is 65 billion in debt is struggling to stay afloat.
Argentina has a habit of cutting off it's own nose to spite its face.
Terrorism never pays and one day Argentina will feel the might of the rest if the world you can count on that.
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