MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Financial Times says CFK's speech fueled Falklanders' fears

Perpetuating the current state of things is in no one's interest, the FT said

The Financial Times said in an editorial Monday that the recent speech by Argentine Vice President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner (CFK) did nothing fue fuel fears among Falklanders who already feel threatened by the Constitution's provision stressing the South American country's claims over the archipelago and the other British Overseas Territories in the South Atlantic.

The publication also proposed that the United Kingdom lift the military embargo against Argentina and reduce the local military garrison so that it was possible to deepen bilateral ties in other areas of mutual interest.

CFK spoke last week in Buenos Aires before the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly (EuroLat) about “the double standard” of world powers which “when it is not convenient for them to support an invasion they reject it and when it is convenient for them it is alright.”

Following those words, Moscow urged the United Kingdom -as both were reached by CFK's mention of countries with veto a prerogative within the United Nations Security Council- to reopen negotiations over sovereignty on the Falkland/Malvinas Islands.

The Financial Times added, however, that the Vice-President's message “only fuels the suspicions of the islanders, who feel threatened by the current constitution, which promises to recover the Malvinas”.

Forty years after the war over the islands (1982) “the dispute” between Argentina and the United Kingdom threatens to block progress in other areas, according to the FT.

The publication also highlighted how the local economy of the Islands has grown, supported by fishing and tourism, which has led to a level of prosperity not seen before the 1982 conflict and which resulted in a wave of migrants that made the population of the islands grow from 2,000 to 3,400 inhabitants.

The article also pointed out that the memory of the conflict was fading slowly, but quite the opposite was happening in Argentina.

The article suggested that the United Kingdom could “lift the military embargo” it has over Argentina, “reduce its militarization” over the Malvinas and resume flights between the archipelago and the continent, to give a place a “normal and friendly” relationship and at the same time “build a space for trade”.

The newspaper also suggested Britain could lift the military embargo on Argentina, an economy that is part of the G20 and a democracy that is almost 40 years old. Reducing militarization in the area would also send a powerful signal to Buenos Aires and the islands that London wants to see more normal and friendly relations in the South Atlantic.

The FT also hinted direct flights between the islands and the Argentine capital could be scheduled so that both populations get to know each other better and build a space for trade. However, this cannot be confirmed since there are no official flights between the Falklands and Buenos Aires. According to data gathered by MercoPress, medical emergencies that cannot be attended in the South Atlantic islands are usually treated in Chile and Uruguay.

The editorial also noted that Falkland mothers who are likely to have complicated births are flown nearly 8,000 miles on military flights to hospitals in the UK, instead of being taken to a medical care center in Argentina and tourism would help both sides take advantage of the visitor boom for Patagonia and Antarctica.

The Financial Times also underlined the humanitarian efforts to identify the remains of fallen Argentine combatants with the help of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), to which every party involved, including the local population, cooperated to their fullest.

The article insisted that perpetuating the current state of things was in no one's interest and that leaving behind the sovereignty dispute could reestablish trust and create a more normal relationship.