The location of a new deep water port for the Falkland Islands been narrowed down to three potential sites: Mare Harbour, Navy Point (north of the Camber) and Stanley harbour (FIPASS) it was confirmed at the Executive Council meeting last week following a discussion of the issue.
The British Ambassador to Chile, Jon Benjamin, expressed on Tuesday UK’s “concern” over “countries that have joined” the Mercosur bloc in their decision to support Argentina, by putting in place a ban on ships flying the Malvinas Islands’ flag from docking at their ports.
Chilean government Secretary General Andres Chadwick denied on Monday any official message from Britain or from Spain regarding Chilean support for the resolution that bars vessels flying the Malvinas flag from Mercosur ports, reports La Tercera from Santiago.
Leaving aside the current diplomatic situation with the UK because of the Uruguayan government decision to bar Malvinas’ flagged vessels from local ports, “we have a very good dialogue with Great Britain” said Uruguayan Foreign Affairs minister Luis Almagro.
From Monday's Globe and Mail (*)
The Falkland Islands, a windswept archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean, are a British Overseas Territory, and have been since 1833. The 3,000 inhabitants of this Island are proud to be British subjects, and no amount of Argentine huffing or puffing will change that.
Many Members of Parliament and in the Lords, from all parties, are totally committed to standing up for the Falkland Islands and rebutting the actions of Argentina, according to Conservative MP Andrew Rosindell and Secretary of the Falkland Islands Group in Westminster. He added people must know the true facts and intentions behind Argentina’s actions.
The President of the Spanish Association of Marine Fishing Officers (Aetinape), José Manuel Muniz, has asked the new Spanish government to get involved and act against the pressure placed on Falklands-flagged vessels by the Argentines, according to an article in the Galician newspaper Faro de Vigo, which examined the Spanish reaction to the ban on the entry of Falklands flagged vessels to Mercosur ports.
China ratified support for Argentina’s sovereignty claim over the Falkland Islands. The message was delivered last week by Chinese President Hu Jintao's special envoy Jiang Shusheng and vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress and is part of the reciprocal policy in support of Taiwan as a province of China.
Uruguayan Foreign Affairs minister Luis Almagro spoke Friday on the phone with Foreign secretary William Hague for the first time since the Falklands/Malvinas’ flagged vessels controversy, but both sides apparently could only agree that the situation remains stalled according to brief statements
The recent visit of the tall-ship Europa to Stanley harbour and its current cruise around South Georgia brings back memories of a by-gone era, the days of sail and tall ships, exploration and the Cape Horn trade-routes.