By John Fowler - Maybe because the days in the Falklands get noticeably shorter from now on and the onset of winter inevitable, April is nobody's favourite month here. To add to the gathering gloom at this time, hardly a year goes by without some journalist – usually Argentinean – ringing the office to ask how we are 'celebrating' the second of April, which marks the anniversary of the Argentine invasion of the Falklands in 1982.
The Uruguayan government through the Ministry of Defence gave the green light to a local air cargo company, Airclass which requested authorization to make a commercial flight to the Falkland Islands sometime this month.
Sky News Michelle Clifford interviewed Patrick Watts, who recalls the night of the invasion 30 years ago and how he kept running the only radio station in the Falklands during the 74 days of Argentine occupation.
The Falkland Islands marked on Sunday the start of the South Atlantic conflict thirty years ago with a ceremony honouring local Defence Force members who were on duty the night of 01 April 1982 when the Argentine invasion.
The Economist latest edition includes a piece on April 2nd 1982 when Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands. The ensuing war Britain fought to recover them still colors UK and Argentine domestic politics
Argentina’s ever more aggressive rhetoric challenging the Falkland Islands sovereignty underlines the significance of the right to self determination, said Sukey Cameron the Falklands’ elected government representative in London.
Defence Minister Arturo Puricelli reiterated Argentina’s “militarization” claims in the Falkland Islands and highlighted “serious suspicions” that Britain is using nuclear weapons in the South Atlantic region.
The UK is determined to strengthen relations with Latin America and equally committed to the Falkland Islands right to self-determination, said Foreign Secretary William Hague during a major foreign policy speech at banquet.
Foreign Affairs minister Luis Almagro said that the Uruguayan government does not oppose trade with the Falkland Islands and any undertaking to that effect by the private sector is welcome since “Uruguay does not agree with any commercial or economic blockade of the Islands”.
“The Falklands are British, we have all the rights over the Islands plus the Islanders want to be British” said Governor Nigel Haywood who did not discard a UN sponsored referendum so that Islanders can decide on their future.