MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
UK and Argentina clash at UN Fourth Committee on Decolonization over Falklands, South Atlantic Islands and self determination
The Committee took the draft resolution titled “Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples” Among the several issues addressed by the UN Fourth Committee was the draft resolution titled “Dissemination of information on decolonization”, contained in Chapter XIII of the Special Committee’s report. The text was approved by a recorded vote of 143 in favour to 3 against (Israel, United Kingdom, United States) and 1 abstention (France).
The representative of the United Kingdom, in an explanation of position, said that the text was unacceptable as it would represent an unwarranted drain on the United Nations’ scarce resources.
However the representative of Argentina, expressing support for the right to self-determination, said that the text should be interpreted in line with relevant Assembly resolutions. Highlighting the sovereignty dispute concerning the Malvinas Islands, South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands and the surrounding maritime areas, he said it has been established that the only way to resolve that special and particular colonial situation is through bilateral negotiations.
The Committee then took up the draft resolution titled “Implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples”, also contained in Chapter XIII of the Special Committee’s report.
It approved the text by a recorded vote of 108 in favour to 3 against (Israel, United Kingdom, United States), with 37 abstentions. The UK representative coordinated humanitarian and disaster responses in the Pacific region, using forces based in New Caledonia and French Polynesia, she said. Those same forces worked against illegal fishing and transnational crime. The language in operative paragraph 13 was unacceptable and should be removed from future versions, she said.
The representative of Argentina recalled that visiting missions only proceeded in territories where the United Nations had determined that the principle of self-determination was applicable. The doctrine of the Special Committee on Decolonization was clear, he underlined, noting that missions should not proceed when there is a United Nations-recognized sovereignty dispute. Moreover, sending visiting missions should be considered on a case-by-case basis and should be conducted in line with relevant resolutions.
Finally the representative of the United Kingdom, speaking in exercise of the right of reply, said that his country has no doubt about its sovereignty over the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands and the surrounding maritime areas, nor about the rights of Falkland Islanders to self-determination. There can be no dialogue on sovereignty unless the Falkland Islanders so wish, he said.
The representative of Argentina said the Malvinas Islands, South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands and the surrounding maritime areas are an integral part of Argentine territory, being illegally occupied by the United Kingdom and therefore subject to a sovereignty dispute between the two countries. Several General Assembly resolutions on the issue recognize the existence of that dispute and urge the Governments of Argentina and the United Kingdom to resume negotiations in order to find, as soon as possible, a peaceful and lasting settlement to the dispute, he recalled.
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Read all commentsWhat will this achieve? NOTHING ABSOLUTLEY NOTHING!!!
Oct 19th, 2022 - 09:16 am +5Argentina continues to throw the dummy out of the pram. It makes me laugh when they say they support the right to self determination. That Argentina, is exactly what the people of the Falkland Islands want. The right to determine their own future. Not one with Argentina as it happens, those rights are recorded in the UN and the committee of 24, yet Argentina rejects those rights because it does not include sovereignty which is all they actually want.
Oct 19th, 2022 - 09:54 pm +5How many times does Britain and the people of the Falkland Islands have to repeat this position.
Argentina has never been able to prove any claim. They use the belief they inherited the islands from Spain.
Does that mean they also inherited all that land to the south of Buenos Aires. No of course they did not. They stole all that land and the world knows it. Now they want to steal more land but this time have been stopped in their tracks and it hurts their pride. They are now more angry that Britain defeated them and kicked them out of a British Territory. They hate it even more because the people of the islands now no longer trust them. They should have thought about the consequences of that invasion in 1982.
They have revoked all of the UN agreements because of that on aggressive act and it really hurts them.
It hurts them more to know that an indoctrinated belief that islanders do not exist are actually very much real and doing very well with their economy, something Argentina has failed at.
They have disgraced themselves on the world stage through debt, all they have is their propaganda war over something they have never actually owned.
Argentina is in dire straits right now and need a distraction, any distraction.
“Them Engrish Colonialists are really in desperate need of a new enemy”
Oct 19th, 2022 - 07:14 pm +4Why? when they can play around with lying Argentina.
“The Malvinas case is different”
The UN says otherwise.
“The General Assembly would reaffirm the inalienable right of the peoples of Non-Self-Governing Territories to self-determination, including -- if they so wished -- independence, by the terms of one of seven draft resolutions and two decisions on decolonization questions approved this afternoon by the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization).
Following the conclusion this afternoon of its general debate, the Committee, acting without a vote, approved that two-part consolidated text on small island Territories, by which the Assembly would reaffirm that it is ultimately for the people of the remaining 16 Territories on the Committee's list to determine freely their future political status.”
https://press.un.org/en/2002/gaspd238.doc.htm
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