Spanish Foreign minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo will be visiting Argentina next September to meet with his peer Hector Timerman to discuss the Gibraltar and Falklands/Malvinas sovereignty disputes and consider the possibility of a joint front.
This week’s incursion of President Cristina Fernandez at the United Nations Security Council, (because during August Argentina holds the rotating presidency of the council9 caught the attention of The Economist in a brief piece under the heading “Argentina, the Falklands and the UN: self determined”.
The Falkland Islands sent on Wednesday a support message to Chief Minister Fabian Picardo and the people of Gibraltar which is under strong pressure and threats from Spain over border crossings while from London it was reported that PM David Cameron called Spanish PM Mariano Rajoy to raise concerns about the escalation of the situation.
President Cristina Fernandez, CFK, used the opportunity of Argentina at the rotating chair of the United Nations Security Council to demand an end to the veto power of its five permanent members (United States, Russia, China, Britain and France), and criticize the UK refusal to engage in Falkland Islands sovereignty discussions.
The United Kingdom reiterated on Tuesday that there can be no Falkland Islands sovereignty discussions with Argentina unless and until the Islanders so wish, because there are three parties to the debate: UK, Argentina and the Falkland Islands people.
The Falkland Islands Government has welcomed the announcement by the Senate of Argentina of the establishment of a Marine Protected Area (MPA) within the area of Burdwood Bank which lies within the Argentine Economic Zone, describing it as a “positive step” in the interest of marine conservation and fisheries management.
Argentine president Cristina Fernandez visited on Monday afternoon United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and called for a restructuring of multilateral organisations in order to improve performance, using as an example regional body Unasur (Union of South American Nations).
The British press has picked on news from Spain and Argentina to state that the government of President Cristina Fernandez is about to sign an agreement to purchase refurbished Mirage F1 decommissioned by the Spanish Air Force, which could become potentially a major threat for the Falkland Islands and another reason for escalating the ever sensitive Argentina/UK relations.
A Falkland Islands government statement of policy principles on port location and oil infrastructure development passed at Executive Council last week has been met with opposing views from members of the private sector, reports the Penguin News.
The United Kingdom deployed a laser weapon during the Falkland Islands 1982 war with Argentina designed to dazzle enemy pilots who were attacking British warships, according to secret documents released Wednesday.