SOUTH AMERICAN PRESS REVIEW
19 – 20 June 2004
This morning, Clarín and La Nacion are both carrying reports of Argentine Foreign Minister Rafael Belsa strongly pressing for sovereignty negotiations at the UN Committee for Decolonisation in New York yesterday. The resolution calling for this passed - as it always does. Bielsa called for negotiations to end the “colonial situation” as soon as possible. He promised that Argentina would respect the “interests” of the Islanders and see to their well-being, but rejected the principle of self-determination. He is reported to have greeted the Islanders cordially, but referred to them as “illegitimate representatives of the Islands” He stressed Argentina’s willingness to negotiate. His speech was reported to have been carried on TV in Argentina.
Bielsa also foresaw a continuation of efforts to reach an agreement for regular Argentine flights to the Islands. He stated that Argentine air and shipping lines were ready to serve the islands and that Argentina would provide a high tech hospital. He said that charters to and from Chile would not be permitted until these were done by an Argentine airline.
Bielsa also stated that unilateral decisions on such things as oil, minerals and fishing were “inadmissible”. He claimed that Britain had increased its military capacity in the Islands extending its capacity to operate outside the disputed area. He also said Britain had policed fishing outside the disputed area. What nonsense.
In a personal comment Bielsa said: “I feel proud to be here in defence of the cause that I defend and I feel accompanied by my people, by men and women who have been born with this cause as an indelible mark that they carry and exhibit”.
Bielsa was accompanied by Lucio Garcia del Solar the very old and very hardline Argentine diplomat who has specialised in the Falklands since the 1960s.
Councillors Mike Summers was reported to have stated that: Argentina had adopted an aggressive atitude towards the Falklands that bodes ill for the future and will make cooperation difficult in areas of mutual interest. He also stated that Argentina had encouraged it fishing fleet to take large quantities of fish just outside Falklands waters to deplete the resource. He said too that Argentina had sent the ship Almirante Iritzar into Falklands waters to molest foreign fishing boats with Falklands licences. Councillor Edwards said that Argentina was trying to damage the Falklands economy.
Clarín also carries an article announcing that there is to be a census of the Argentine Falklands War veterans and a move to satisfy their grievances. Several are apparently camped in the Plaza de Mayo to press their complaints at the moment.
In other news pickets are reported to have caused traffic chaos in Buenos Aires yesterday with various protests.
(100X Translation Service
Translator’s Comments:
Nothing much changes. The Committee of 24 was discredited decades ago and is of very little importance now. It has again heard the traditional Argentine position, with a few extra pieces of nonsense thrown in for good measure. Argentina is pressing its case much more strongly than in the past, but that is to be expected from the current Argentine administration, which is confrontational about just about everything. One feature, however, that is obvious is Argentina’s desire for air links with the Falklands, which is its traditional ambition to control Falklands communications with South America.
20 June 2004
This morning, La Nacion has a major interview with the British Ambassador to Argentina, Sir Robin Christopher, conducted by Jorge Elias, who is the journalist who attended the Argentine Biased Conference last October. The title is “We have lost confidence in the (Argentine) Government”.
The most important subjects are Britain's loss of confidence in the Argentine government and Argentine flights to the Falklands. Sir Robin says that he would like to see more contact between Argentina and the Falklands. He says that Britain has a plan for flights, which he declines to reveal as it is something for the two governments (see comments). But he basically says that cooperation (which is clearly the diplomatic codeword for direct flights and other forms of contact) depends on confidence and that the Islanders are not going to cooperate if they feel threatened and instead will harden their position. Sir Robin is quoted as saying that “We have lost confidence in the (Argentine) Government". Elias writes that, without Sir Robin mentioning it, Britain has not overlooked the way in which Argentina issued permits to Aerolíneas Argentinas recently and before that to LAFSA to fly to the Falklands. Sir Robin also says that Britain’s commitment to self-determination for the Islanders is not going to change. He is reported to have said that “we have a historical difference that has been going on for generations and is going to continue for more generations”.
Other comments from Sir Robin are about his time as ambassador which will come to an end in October when he retires. For example, he has travelled extensively in Argentina, and even bought a motor bike and rode it from Mendoza to Salta with an Argentine friend!
In other news La Nacion’s leading story today is that there are estimated to be about a hundred groups of kidnappers operating in Argentina at the moment.
Over the last few days there have also been more reports about the activities of the pickets who have been harassing various commercial companies recently as well as blocking roads. The Kirchner government still doesn’t appear to have the stomach to use the force necessary to stop them.
Last but not least, there have been a number of reports over the last few weeks of increasing friction between Kirchner and other Peronists in the Province of Buenos Aires. These reports are continuing. Kirchner has fallen out with both former-president Duhalde, who was his mentor in the presidential elections and who is still the Peronist strongman in BA, and Felipe Sola the governor of the province. In fact, I know from personal contacts that over the last two or three weeks there has been increasing discontent with Kirchner among many ordinary people too, and his regime is beginning to look a bit unstable. The honeymoon with him is very much over, and Argentina is back to its time honoured politics of factions for ever squabbling with each other. It bodes ill for the future. Ex-president Menem, who is still fighting extradition to Argentina from Chile, has even launched a special Menemist branch of the Peronist movement. He said a few days ago that Kirchner wouldn’t complete his term of office, and that he (Menem) will be back in 2007. I personally don’t think Menem has even the slightest chance of ever getting back into power, but it is probably Kirchner’s current difficulties that have led Menem to think that he has.
(100X Translation Service)
Translator’s Comments:
There is a lot about flights to the Falklands in the interview, but only a relatively minor reference to a British plan for these. Sir Robin says: La propuesta considera la recomendación de que no haya excepción, porque está basada en el Mercado. I translate this to mean: “The proposal bears in mind the recommendation that there should be no exceptions, because it is based on the market”. It’s not at all clear, but it sounds a bit like “Open Skies” to me.
