Falklands : BRITAIN COMES FULL CIRCLE WITH ARGENTINA OVER GOVERNMENT LETTERS
Submitted by Falkland Islands News Network (Juanita Brock) 19.06.2012 (Article Archived on 03.07.2012)
British Prime Minister, the Rt Hon Mr David Cameron MP has refused to accept a letter about the Falkland Islands from Argentina's President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner at the G20 summit in Mexico; and has come full circle from last week’s episode at the UN Committee of 24 on decolonisation in New York by Argentina’s president when she refused to accept a letter from the Falkland Islands Government.
BRITAIN COMES FULL CIRCLE WITH ARGENTINA OVER GOVERNMENT LETTERS
Editorial Comments by J. Brock (FINN)
British Prime Minister, the Rt Hon Mr David Cameron MP has refused to accept a letter about the Falkland Islands from Argentina's President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner at the G20 summit in Mexico; and has come full circle from last week’s episode at the UN Committee of 24 on decolonisation in New York by Argentina’s president when she refused to accept a letter from the Falkland Islands Government.
Mr Cameron and Mrs de Kirchner met during the first working session involving leaders of the 20 countries. He expressed the opinion that she should "respect the views" of islanders, who are due to hold a referendum about their right to self-determination in early 2013. Downing Street aides said the Prime Minister initiated contact with the Argentine President to make Britain's position on the Falklands clear.
"I am not proposing a full discussion now on the Falklands but I hope you have noted that they are holding a referendum and you should respect their views. We should believe in self-determination and act as democrats here in the G20," said Mr Cameron to Mrs de Kirchner.
Several news agencies report that he repeated the message three times while it was being translated into Spanish. Aides said Mr Cameron gave a "clear and calm message" which he repeated three times as his words were interpreted into Spanish.
Said Hector Timmerman, Argentina’s Foreign Minister, "The right time to talk about this issue was last week when the UN summoned the UK and Argentina to talk at the decolonisation committee, and once again Great Britain declined the offer to be there."
However, representatives of the Falkland Islands people, The Hon Mr Roger Edwards MLA and the Hon Mr Mike Summers MLA were at the same committee meeting and were snubbed by the Argentine delegation that refused to let them deliver a letter from the Falkland Islands Government to the Argentine President.
Britain has repeatedly refused calls for talks on the sovereignty of the Falklands, which Argentina calls Las Malvinas, pointing out that the islands are self-governing and that under the UN Charter Chapter 1.2 the Islands’ people had the right to self-determination.
According to a press release from the Falkland Islands Government wording on the referendum question has not yet been finalised but will be published soon.
The confrontation came after Mr Cameron confronted Argentina for undermining attempts to restore global growth through protectionist measures on trade. Speaking to a business audience ahead of the official opening of the Los Cabos summit, Mr Cameron did not mention Argentina by name, but said that there was "one G20 member" which had imposed protectionist measures which threatened to harm the global economy. There was no doubt that his comments referred to Argentina.
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