MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentina targeting the Foradori/Duncan statement on the Falklands

Duncan and Foradori during the signing of the Joint Statement of September 2016

Argentine foreign minister Santiago Cafiero has ordered an internal investigation to determine whether former deputy foreign minister Carlos Foradori back in 2016, became drunk during a meeting with British diplomats in which UK and Argentina agreed to an improved relationship through closer cooperation on areas of mutual interest, including a chapter on the Falkland Islands.

The decision follows statements in an autobiography book by former Foreign Office minister for the Americas, Ian Duncan (2016/19), “In the thick of it” which involves the Argentine official.

The investigation is expected to determine the veracity of some of the book's statements regarding the conduct of the official, and possible crimes committed if proven true, when the signing of the Foradori/Duncan Statement, 13 September 2016, under the government of president Mauricio Macri.

The joint statement is anathema for the Kirchner/Fernandez government particularly when it refers to the Falklands, “The South Atlantic Dialogue will seek to build cooperation in areas of mutual interest. Of course this will not include the issue of sovereignty. The UK continues to strongly support the rights of the Falkland Islanders and our position on sovereignty has not changed - there can be no dialogue on this unless the Falkland Islanders so wish”.

In his memoirs Duncan recalls that on 12 September he met with British ambassador Mark Kent to seal what was later to be identified as the Foradori/Duncan statement.

The British embassy has a fabulous wine cellar, well lit and its walls packed with Merlot bottles, Duncan wrote, “quite a comfortable backdrop for a diplomatic meeting and we met there with deputy foreign minister Carlos Foradori”.

“A great back curtain for the delicate negotiations to ensure additional flights to the Falklands; for millions of reasons the cooperation of Argentina is required for any link through the land mass”

As bottle after bottle from the cellar walls ended on the table, negotiations improved. At about 02:00 in the morning we shook hands over the general agreement, Duncan writes in the book.

The following day, 13 September Duncan wrote: Mark Kent tells me that Foradori just rang on the phone to tell him that the night before he was so drunk he couldn't remember all the details. As an authentic British gentleman, Mark reminded him what had happened and he had agreed to, faithfully and with no adornments. So I think we continue on the right track”