MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

The status of 'city' granted to Stanley by the Queen, another Argentine complaint in the next C24, June 23

Argentine foreign minister Santiago Cafiero, and Malvinas, Antarctica and South Atlantic Islands Secretary Guillermo Carmona will be heading the delegation to the C24

Next June 23 Argentina will renew its request before the UN Special Committee on Decolonization, or C24, for the United Kingdom to resume negotiations on the Falklands/Malvinas Islands sovereignty dispute, which have been suspended for forty years following the South Atlantic conflict.

Parallel to the request Argentina will warn about UK “illegal actions” in the South Atlantic archipelago referred to authorizing illegal fishing, hydrocarbons exploration, institutional decisions which violate UN resolutions, plus the “unjustified” military presence in the Islands, and yes,... the fact that Stanley was extended the status of “City” on the Platinum Jubilee of the Queen, without consulting Argentina!!!. .

Argentine foreign minister Santiago Cafiero, the Malvinas, Antarctica and South Atlantic Islands Secretary, Guillermo Carmona will be heading the delegation to the annual session of the C24, to address as always the Malvinas Question, that is the Argentine diplomatic claim over the Islands, “usurped” by the British in 1833.

”As has happened historically, Chile, supported by the rest of Latin American countries in C24 (Bolivia, Cuba, Nicaragua and Ecuador) will be presenting a draft resolution backing Argentina's position in the framework of UN General Assembly Resolution 2065 (from 1965), calling on both sides to resume sovereignty negotiations“, according to Secretary Carmona.

The annual C24 meeting runs from June 13 to 24, and the Falklands/Malvinas Question is to be addressed on June 23 session. A few weeks ago Carmona, who will be attending the meeting for the first time, did a round of the different UN officials involved in the issue.

”What we have experienced is that there is a very strong commitment from the president of the Decolonization Committee (Keisha McGuire) as well as from Abdulla Shahid, president of the 76th UN General Assembly, to advance in a resolution of the issue, and we of course are calling for a quick modification of the Malvinas case“

Carmona anticipated that Argentina will demand the draft resolution explicitly points out Argentine predisposition to negotiate while the British are clearly reticent. Two Argentine petitioners are going to complain about British colonialism in the Falklands/Malvinas while foreign minister Cafiero will address different issues of the Malvinas question, such as illegal fishing, hydrocarbons exploration activities and institutional decisions adopted by UK contrary to international Law.

”This is a special year because of the fortieth anniversary of the conflict, which gives the Malvinas issue a particular significance, but as every year since the war, before the adventure of the Argentine military dictatorship, UK was already embarked in a reticent attitude towards International Law“, added Carmona.

”Let's not forget that negotiations on the Malvinas issue were taking place between UK and Argentina, but since February 1982, UK rejected all sovereignty discussions and complying with Resolution 2065, “for a negotiated solution to the sovereignty dispute,” Carmona underlined.

Likewise with the “no innovation” clause as part of the resolution and which UK systematically ignores. ”One of the latest was extending the status of city to Puerto Argentino, (Stanley) in the framework of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee, “a unilateral decision by the British monarchy with no participation of Argentina, since it is well known that the Malvinas are part of our national territory”