
By Vicente Palermo (*)
The international resolutions which Argentina appeals to support its claim over the Falklands/Malvinas Islands are not definitive on the sovereignty issue, and do not ignore the rights of the Falkland Islanders, argues an Argentine scientific researcher and member of the Argentine Political Club who published an opinion article in Buenos Aires daily Clarin.

Opinion by Robin Goodwin -
As a Falkland Islander, I do wonder where Alicia Castro the Argentine Ambassador to the United Kingdom was educated. To not recognize that Falkland Islanders exist is plain ignorance on the part of the Argentine Government. Particularly that she is based in England.

Peruvian lawmaker Lourdes Alcorta openly dissented with President Ollanta Humala latest statements on ‘unconditional support for Argentina and the Malvinas issue”, and called to respect the Falkland Islands referendum next month.

Argentina’s president of the Lower House and Malvinas veteran Julián Domínguez described as “treason to Latinamerica” the fact that Uruguayan lawmakers will be travelling to the Falklands to observe the coming referendum on the Islands political status and future.

Argentine ambassador in the UK, Alicia Castro described the coming Falkland Islands referendum on March 10/11 as a ‘media ruse’ and insisted that a three-side dialogue on Malvinas sovereignty is ‘unthinkable’ because the issue is bilateral: UK/Argentina.

The cruise business has been picking up for the last three seasons and so far including January an estimated 31.000 visitors landed in Punta Arenas, extreme south of Chile, which represents a 7% increase over the previous season and 10% for international cruises, said the head of the Austral Port Authority, Ignacio Covacevich.

FAO Food Price Index held steady at 210 points in January 2013 after three straight months of decline. Increases in oil and fats prices offset lower cereals and sugar quotations while dairy and meat values remained substantially unchanged. The pause in the Index's decline tallies with a significant upward revision in FAO latest forecast for 2012 world cereal production. This is now estimated at 2.302 million tonnes - 20 million tonnes up on December's forecast.

Electoral observance serves to build the foundations of Latin American democracy said Organization of American States, OAS, Secretary General Jose Miguel Inuslza during opening remarks at a Roundtable entitled International Election Observation: Progress and Challenges, held at OAS headquarters in Washington, DC.

The 43rd British Islands and Mediterranean Region Annual Conference of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association hosted by the Falkland Islands for the second time begins on Tuesday. Over forty delegates have travelled to the Islands for the Conference and Falklands Radio will be broadcasting some of the sessions.

A new crossfire has emerged between the Argentine President Cristina Fernandez and the Jewish community over the agreement reached by the Argentine government with Iran to investigate the 1994 bombing of a Jewish institution in Buenos Aires which left 85 dead and hundreds injured, and remains unresolved.