MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentina again requests UN Secretary General's good offices in the Malvinas sovereignty dispute

Minister Santiago Cafiero with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres at UN HQ in New York

Ahead of his address to the United Nations Special Decolonization Committee, C24, this Thursday, demanding sovereignty talks with the United Kingdom over the Falkland Islands sovereignty, Argentine foreign minister Santiago Cafiero met on Wednesday with US Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

With Guterres, Cafiero reiterated Argentina's interest in the UN's Secretary General good offices mission, as mandated by the UN General Assembly, with the purpose that Argentina and UK resume sovereignty negotiations on the so-called Malvinas Question, which “should be done in compliance with the mandate, voted forty years ago, and the numerous General Assembly resolutions and as well as from the Decolonization committee”, to find a peaceful and definitive solution to the sovereignty controversy, pointed out the Argentine foreign ministry release in Buenos Aires.

The Argentine official and Guterres also addressed other issues of common interest, including the commitment of the Argentine government as pro tempore president of CELAC (Community of Latin American and Caribbean States) to strongly promote supportive multilateralism, in the global context of the post-pandemic and the current war in the heart of Europe, because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and in particular the strengthening of food supplies to those regions suffering the consequences of the war.

Cafiero also underlined the need for measures to address global inflation and problems in the supply chain which threaten food and energy security.

Likewise the significance of Humanitarian International Law, and abiding by UN charter principles, respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the different States. The foreign ministry release also points out the commitment of Argentina presiding over the UN Human Rights Council, and its full backing to the Human Rights High Commissioner. Likewise with the 2030 agenda of sustainable development, which Argentina “is already implementing”.

The meeting of Guterres with Cafiero was also attended by Argentine permanent representative before the UN, Ambassador Maria del Carmen Squeff; Malvinas, Antarctica and South Atlantic Secretary Guillermo Carmona; head of the foreign ministry's cabinet Luciana Tito and the head of the Malvinas and South Atlantic Desk at the ministry, Sandra Pitta.

The full Argentine delegation to the UN C24 meeting this Thursday, also includes lawmakers from the ruling coalition and opposition groupings; provincial lawmakers, the governor of Tierra del Fuego (and Malvinas) Gustavo Melella, relatives of Louis Vernet who will be acting as petitioners, plus other government and civilian society representatives.

Argentina as usual is expected to claim before C24, its historic rights over the Malvinas Islands, territorial integrity and the support of International Law and a long list of international forae resolutions. They will also point out to the fact that UK abuses of its condition as member of the UN Security Council, and the current contradiction, while UK with PM Boris Johnson leads the crusade demanding respect for Ukraine's territorial integrity threatened by Russia, it simply ignores International Law and territorial integrity when it comes to the Falkland/Malvinas Islands.