By Professor Peter Willetts - In March, 1,513 people in the Falklands voted Yes to remaining a British Overseas Territory and only three people voted No. The Yes vote was a remarkable 99.8% of the voters on an exceptionally high turnout of 92.0%. The orthodox view that British voters chose to remain British is not enough to explain the result.
By Mike Summers (*)
Published in The Washington Times
In 1776, a group of American patriots wrote a letter to their king informing him they were unhappy with their political status and had plans to change it. Americans know this story well. That letter, the Declaration of Independence, formed the United States' profound belief that we all have certain unalienable rights, including life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
The Decolonization Committee is no longer relevant and to describe the relation of British Overseas Territories with the UK as colonial is insulting both for the BOT and London, said a Foreign Office spokeswoman following Thursday session when the Falklands/Malvinas case was debated at the UN C24.
Argentina and the Falkland Islands meet on Thursday at the UN Decolonization Committee, C24 to discuss the South Atlantic Islands sovereignty dispute, and contrary to last year when the big show was the attendance of President Cristina Fernandez, this time it will be the Falklands’ turn with the indisputable fresh results of the March referendum and their right to self-determination.
The governors, from Tierra del Fuego and Santa Fe will be part of the delegation when the Argentine presentation before the UN Decolonisation Committee on the Falklands/Malvinas sovereignty dispute, next Thursday June 20 in New York.
Irish lawmakers expressed support for the compliance of UN Resolution 2065 which acknowledges the Argentine/UK Falkland Islands dispute and dismissed any International law consequences from the recent referendum held in the Falkland Islands ratifying British sovereignty, according to Argentine legislators that were received at the parliament in Dublin.
The following piece was written by Andrew Ayre, British High Commissioner in Georgetown, Guyana and published in StabroekNews from Guyana.
The remarkable transformation of the Falkland Islands into the democratic, prosperous, hardworking community of today was applauded by hundreds of supporters gathered in London for the annual reception in London marking the liberation of the Islands from Argentine invasion and occupation in 1982.
The Treasury of the Falklands Islands Government has issued a new coin whose main focus is that of the March referendum when the population was asked about the status of the Islands and overwhelmingly voted to remain as a British Overseas Territory.
The turnout was 92% and 99% of ballots confirmed British Territory status.
Latinamerican countries expressed on Thursday their full support for Argentina’s sovereignty claim over the Falklands/Malvinas, during the 43 annual assembly of the Organization of American States taking place in Guatemala. Only Canada was against the OAS final declaration while the United States did not take position on the matter.