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.
Lawmaker Jaime Trobo invited his peers in the Lower House to review the Uruguayan government’s position regarding the Malvinas Islands and without questioning Argentine sovereignty, establish close trade and human links with the Islanders, as in the past, eliminating the ‘sanitary ring’ imposed by the current Argentine government.
“I was surprised that such a small community with so few human resources to organise an electoral act did things so well, so properly, in conformity with international standards. This was a demonstration of a desire that this should be an act of value, not only in terms of its effects in the Falklands themselves, but also for the international image of a legitimate process.”
“Voting is a human right and electoral observation does not validate a thing, it is a simple act of analyzing if those conditions people have proposed for the ballot event, are fully complied” said Uruguayan lawmaker Jaime Trobo currently in the Falklands for the referendum on the Islands political status and future.
Uruguay Minister of Defence Eleuterio Fernandez Huidobro described as an “enormous shame” for the country the fact that two lawmakers from the leading opposition National party travelled to the Falklands/Malvinas to participate as observers of the Sunday/Monday referendum on the Islands political status and future.
At least two Uruguayan lawmakers have confirmed to the British embassy in Montevideo that they will be travelling to the Falkland Islands next March for the referendum on the Islands political status and future. The trips are financed by the embassy and according to parliament sources in Montevideo the list could become longer.The news was published in a Montevideo weekly.