The Falkland Islands government has no doubts about its right to licence legitimate offshore oil and gas exploration activities in accordance with Falklands' legislation and will continue to support the hydrocarbons industry as it moves from successful exploration towards oil production.
The Argentine court order that assets of several international oil companies drilling for oil in the Falkland Islands be seized has caused mild turbulence in their share prices. Tierra del Fuego judge Lilian Herraez ordered the authorities to seize bank accounts, boats and other assets worth an estimated US$156mln.
The government of Argentina's campaign to strangle the Falkland Islands hydrocarbons industry is 'unacceptable' and taking action against British and international oil and gas companies has dangerous implications for global business, warned Foreign Office minister Hugo Swire on Monday reacting to an Argentine federal court ordering the seizure of UK and US assets involved in Falklands' operations.
Argentina will pursue in Britain and the United States a local judge's order to seize assets of oil drillers operating in the disputed Falklands Islands, the Argentine foreign minister Hector Timerman said in an interview published in a government financed newspaper on Sunday.
The president of the UN Decolonization Special Committee (C24), Xavier Lasso Mendoza argued that the Falklands/Malvinas issue is a territorial integrity and sovereignty dispute between two countries, and since there is no subjugated people in the Islands, if a visiting mission is to be sent, it would have to be to Buenos Aires and London, with the simple message, ”when are you going to sit and begin negotiations?
The United Nations Decolonization Committee approved on Thursday a new resolution urging the United Kingdom to discuss the Falklands/Malvinas dispute with Argentina, in order to find a peaceful solution to the conflict. The decision came as no surprise since it has become an annual event despite Falklands' representatives demand for C24 to act in support of Non Self Governing Territories.
Falkland Islands lawmaker Mike Summers called on the UN Special Decolonisation Committee to uphold the basic human rights of the people of the Non Self-Governing Territories, particularly self determination, argued that C24 has no mandate to discuss competing claims over NSGTs and cautioned that in supporting Argentine colonial aspirations in the Falkland Islands, “you are complicit in supporting Argentina’s bullying and harassment”.
The Falkland Islands' long journey from a colony to a self governing, financially autonomous territory, was underlined on Thursday, by lawmaker Phyl Rendell in her presentation to the United Nations Special Decolonization Committee. But so was the fact that advancing development, and relations with the continent are always under threat from Argentina, “who makes no secret of wanting to control our territory against our wishes”.
The myths surrounding Alexander Betts are beginning to unravel. He is the Falkland Islander who went to Argentina at the end of the 1982 Falklands war; adopted the Spanish version of his name, and portrayed himself as an honourable man who had carefully studied Falklands’ history and reached the conclusion that the Falklands belonged to Argentina.
Falkland Islands elected lawmakers with be delivering speeches on Thursday before the United Nations Decolonization Committee as petitioners requesting C24 de-lists the Islands from the Non Self Governing Territories, upholds the Falkland Islanders right to self determination and frees them from the continuous Argentine bullying and harassment.