MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Falklands: Argentina interested in a third phase of the Plan to identify fallen combatants in Malvinas

The Argentine military cemetery at Darwin were the remains of 115 combatants were identified under the Humanitarian Project Plan under Red Cross guidance

Argentina is interested in a third phase of the Humanitarian Project Plan which has successfully helped with the identification of Argentine combatants fallen in the Falklands/Malvinas during the 1982 South Atlantic conflict, triggered by the Argentine invasion of the Islands. Argentine president Alberto Fernandez made the announcement during his annual March first speech to Congress, officially opening the legislative year.

 Under the two previous phases of the Humanitarian Project Plan, more than 115 remains of Argentine soldiers buried in the Falkland Islands were identified by a multi-nation forensic team. The Plan under the guidance of the Red Cross was agreed by the United Kingdom and the Falkland Islands with Argentina.

In the address, a sort of “State of the Nation”, president Fernandez focused some five to eight minutes at the end of his two-hour long speech on his government's foreign policy basics and objectives: cooperative multilateralism, strongly supporting peace, international security, the peaceful solution of controversies, human rights, defense of democracy and caring for the environment.

“In all these forae we have strived for cooperative and egalitarian solutions to the great global problems”, Fernandez said, adding that “likewise we promote dialogue in our region to overcome existing differences. We promote constructive dialogue with our Mercosur partners and have accepted the challenge of holding the chair of CELAC, Community of Latin American and Caribbean States”.

Argentina as such, is loyal to the principles of international coexistence, and calls for peace and the peaceful resolution of international controversies. “Argentina will always reject the use of armed force and reiterates the need to respect the principles of the United Nations charter”.

And then the Malvinas Question, which “must be a State policy that complies with the mandate of the First Transitory Provision of the National Constitution outlining consensus strategies which can enable us to successfully conduct the claim. The willingness to construct such a consensus was clearly expressed in the several laws we promoted and which were unanimously sanctioned in both Houses”.

“It's forty years since the South Atlantic Conflict and we launched the 'Malvinas Agenda 40 Years' and have declared 2022 as the year of the homage from the Argentine people to the fallen as well as their families and the Malvinas veterans. That is how we visualize one of the last residues of colonialism”.

“Argentina reiterates its search for a negotiated and peaceful solution to the sovereignty dispute, to comply with the unrenounceable objective of recovering the full exercise of sovereignty over part of our territory which remains usurped. We thank the support of all countries, regions and the International forums that have expressed support for Argentina”.

“Our commitment to honor the fallen in Malvinas is expressed in sustaining an identification policy of our soldiers which were left behind in that part of the national territory,” and thus the interest expressed to the ICRC in a third phase of the identification of the fallen Argentines in the framework of the Humanitarian Project Plan, as part of the initiative which was launched in 2012, and has had continuity with the successive governments.

Finally, last but not least, “I am convinced that Malvinas is a national cause that brings together and mobilizes the Argentine people, Malvinas were, are and will be Argentine”.