British Prime Minister David Cameron chose to display the flag of the Falklands today on Downing Street, commemorating the 30th anniversary of the end of the Falklands/Malvinas war.
Cameron vowed to continue defending the islands against the “aggressive threats” of Argentina, honouring veterans and relatives affected by the conflict.
The Argentine government, meanwhile, published a declaration in British newspaper ‘The Times’, calling for an end to colonialism and requesting compliance with UN resolutions.
The open letter was signed by President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, who again asked Britain to “give peace a chance” and referred to her appearance before the UN Committee on Decolonisation.
“Today we will speak at the United Nations Committee on Decolonization about a case of colonial anachronism in the South Atlantic: the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and South Sandwich and the surrounding maritime area, located at the southern tip of the Americas, less than 700 miles from our shores, and 14,000 miles from Britain,” the text reads.
Over 70 countries have given support to Argentina’s goal of UN reconciliation through the “Malvinas Committees”, including Germany, Angola, Australia, Italy, Kuwait, Syria, Venezuela, and Vietnam.
The history of Argentinians in the Falklands between 1816 and 1833 should inspire no confidence.
Vernet, born in Hamburg, was an entrepreneur who was given the Falklands in 1823 by Buenos Aires to settle a debt. He tried to preserve the Falklands for seal hunting for himself and seized American sealing ships, resulting in a retaliatory raid by the USS Lexington.
Jewett was an American pirate who captained the privateer Heroina in 1820 and flew the Argentine flag. He continued piracy against Portuguese ships, and later fought against Argentina for the Brazilian navy.
Antonio Rivero led the “gaucho murders” in 1833 of the five leading members of the settlement, including Vernet’s deputy Brisbane, in a dispute over pay.
Further comment is unnecessary.
For a government that claims to be so concerned about human rights, the Kirchner regime has demonstrated zero concern for the human rights of the islanders, including the basic fundamental right of self determination. Instead, Kirchner continues the same campaign of entitlement, harassment and bravado as Argentina’s dirty war junta of a generation ago. What’s next? Venezuela retroactively claiming that the tiny Dutch colonial island of Aruba (27 kilometers off its coast) is Venezuelan property because it is on their “coastal shelf?” Is this not any less preposterous than Argentina’s position on the Falklands? The only way for this conflict to end is for the government of Argentina to move past their self-delusional sense of intrinsic righteousness and recognize the rights and wishes of the people who live on the islands.
I think it is time to tidy up our home and let the rest of the world goes on its ways. There are too many problems to solve in Argentina long before insisting on demands that will be long lasting ones. However, if the demand is really serious and reasonable then those who ‘held’ the islands will be sensible enough to get them back won’t them? The islanders’ rights of ‘self determination’ are the rights of their captors only and unfortunately the islanders are as kidnapped as those Argentinians at the time the Malvinas war broke out. Of course, most of us are materialistic beings and if I lived in Malvinas having the allegedly high income that most islanders enjoy, I would never consider -not even in my sweetest dreams- to be part of that poor latin American country sadly trapped between a high inflation rate and a high crime rate among other problems and I would choose to be ruled by the British -or whoever that guarantees such an income- forever.
Caesar, I totally agree with your sentiment that Argentina should focus on its real problems, such as the economy. The fact that you realize this is a side show meant to distract from the real issues is commendable. However, your assertion that the islanders are being held there against their will is thoroughly ludicrous. In the event these so-called “captive” people were to vote to become an independent state, there is little doubt that the British government would be fully supportive of their wishes, as they have been with every former colony territory that has sought independence. Would the government of Argentina? I think not.
As a veteran of the war to recover the Falklands I find it extremely sad to read some of the rhetoric that is coming from the Argentine government in their current demands for the return of the Falkland/Malivinas. Without going into the history of their claim which has been well set out as above, they seem to have no understanding of modern Britain. Consistently they refer to ‘England’ ‘UK’ government. I am not aware that living in England as I do, we have an ‘English’ government. Colonialism is an anachronistic part of our recent history. We have no colonies as implied by the UN committee on Colonialism which I have to say appears really out of touch with what is happening in the real world. The UK is an open, liberal society much changed since the 19th century in which Argentina’s political views of that country seem to lie.
I visit the Falkland islands on an annual basis. The people have British values and traditions which they wish to maintain. They are culturally different in so many ways to their Latin neighbours. They govern themselves and are a society who are at ease with themselves. Nobody who lives there are forced to live there by any government. I find it interesting that those Argentines who arrived in 82 thought they were coming to ‘liberate’ oppressed peoples such was their misunderstanding of the political aspect at the time
Argentina is missing a golden opportunity to share the economic wealth in the waters around the Falkland Islands. They should talk to the Islanders directly and discuss with them have they can both gain from any association now or in the future. It is not the British government they should be talking to who have consistently backed the Falkland islanders right to Self-Determination as enshrined in the UN Charter.
I have never visited Argentina but hope to do so next year. I am sure I will enjoy the experience and meet some cultured people, but they are different, so are the Falklander Islanders
In my opinion I think there are two different problems with the Falklands :
- the islanders
- the territory
The islanders are british people and some of them were born in Falklands, I think they have the right to live there and choose their nationality and even benefite of dual nationality.
The territory should belong to Argentina, I dont see why Argentina should offer to another country (that is so far away) the possibility to farm the resources or set up a military base on their coastal shelf, it’s a question of good sense and internal security knowing how the Britain Government used to act with the countries that dont follow the neo-liberalist “recommendations”…