Falkland Islands member of the Legislative Assembly Glen Ross said the Islands are interested in reaching a business agreement with Brazil for the maintenance of the oil rig currently involved in a round of exploratory drilling.
A senior Royal Navy officer stressed that the new British government remains committed to keeping a strong naval presence around the Falkland Islands, reports the Portsmouth press.
The Falkland Islands are marking today Monday June 14 the 28th anniversary of the liberation of the Islands from Argentine occupation in 1982 and a full program has been outlined by Gilbert House.
As had been anticipated a dissident group of Malvinas veterans protested at the Argentine airport of Rio Gallegos during the Saturday stop over of the weekly Lan Chile flight to the Falkland Islands.
Britain’s Deputy Primer Minister Liberal-Democrat Nick Clegg said in Spain there will be no change in the stance of the Falkland Islands sovereignty and the Islanders wish to remain British.
Argentina reaffirmed “exclusive authority” over all hydrocarbons activities in the Islas Malvinas territory and maritime spaces in a strong release to commemorate June 10th, Day of Argentina’s Sovereignty Rights over Malvinas.
The British Foreign Office reaffirmed Wednesday the right to self determination of the Falkland Islands and dismissed the latest statements calling for sovereignty negotiations over the Islands with Argentina.
The Organization of American States (OAS) ratified support of the Argentine demand to seek dialogue with the United Kingdom in order to find a peaceful and definitive solution to the ‘colonialism situation’ of the Malvinas Islands, South Georgia, and South Sandwich and the surrounding maritime areas.
New Falkland Islands Government House First Secretary Ric Nye is hopeful of a politically peaceful three years in the Islands.
Rockhopper Exploration announced on Tuesday it had raised £48.5m from the stock market to fund its drilling operations off the Falklands Islands. Last week Rockhopper revealed that its first well in the North Falkland Basin, called Sea Lion, had found much more oil than expected.