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.
Argentine president Cristina Fernandez will lead on Monday the main ceremony commemorating the 30th anniversary of the beginning of the Malvinas war or South Atlantic conflict, when Argentine troops invaded the Falklands and held them for 74 days until ousted by a British Task Force.
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The same group of Argentine intellectuals and free thinkers that last February presented the document “Malvinas, an alternative view” in which among other things they recognize Falkland Islanders right to self determination, released a second text in which they strongly question having chosen April 2 to commemorate the Day of the veterans and the fallen in the Malvinas war.
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.
Uruguay reiterated its full and traditional support for Argentina’s sovereignty claims over the Falklands/Malvinas Islands, but at the same time underlined that “there is no blockade to the inhabitants of the Malvinas Islands by any country of the continent”, and clearly differentiated the Cuban and Malvinas blockades.
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”.
A multiple discipline exhibition on the Malvinas Islands ahead of the 30th anniversary of the South Atlantic conflict will be officially opened Thursday evening in the Palais de Glace, Buenos Aires.
“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.
Next week marks the 30th anniversary of the invasion of the Falkland Islands by Argentine forces which erupted into a full blown conflict with the UK that ended 74 days later with the complete unconditional surrender of the invading forces.