STUPID ARGENTINA CLAIM BY AND THE USELESS NATIONS (ie Corrupt UN officials)

FACT - This map together shows the 35% increase of the "Argentine Platform". It doesn't include Falklands, Georgias, Sandwich and Antarctica. Only the northern section beyond the 200 miles was considered by this UN committee.

THE FALKLANDS WAR - Post Conflict - Think Defence

There is a persistent myth that the Argentine forces were a bunch of frightened, underfed and ill equipped conscripts with no clue of their business. Nothing could be further from the truth. Their equipment in many cases was superb, in part, much better than that enjoyed by British forces.

Defensive positions were well sited and constructed, they had made excellent use of visual deceptions and the radar and ECM equipment were not only extensive but exceptionally well operated as well. Many were volunteers, thought right was on their side and fought with great skill, determination and gallantry. They were not short of most things, there were ample rations, ammunition and equipment, it was just poorly distributed which meant there were many local shortages outside Port Stanley, especially of food. However, the rift between the officer and other ranks was enormous, logistics was inconsistent and at the end of the day, they had no campaign plan because quite simply, they did not expect such a resolute response. The best soldiers on the planet, sailing 8,000 miles across open ocean, supported by equally fine air and sea forces, and with firm intent, fighting skill and centuries of tradition behind them was simply not within their range of expectations.

Following the surrender of the Argentine forces, it was now time to consolidate and prevent a rematch.

Although Argentina had accepted the Instrument of Ceasefire they only recognised this locally, there was no wider recognition of the cessation of hostilities so although they were down for the count the British government recognised that the nature of the unfinished business needed sensible and sturdy consolidation.

Unfortunately, the scale of the other problems facing both the victorious military forces and civilian inhabitants of the Falkland Islands were immense, there were many priorities, every single one of them number one.

Disposal of the detritus of war, getting the defeated Argentine forces home safe and well, restoring damaged or destroyed utilities, keeping everyone fed and watered, rotating British forces out of theatre, satisfying the demands of the world’s media and basically getting the islanders back to some semblance of normality all competed with rehabilitating the airport.

That said, commanders were entirely focussed on the airport facilities, it might have been competing with other resource demands but it was generally beating them as well. Unlike the Argentine forces, we recognised the strategic value of air defence from the islands.

For several weeks, there was also a real fear that elements of the Argentine forces might try an armed publicity stunt.

If many considered the conduct of the Argentine forces to very good during the conflict, towards the end, and after, they somewhat spoiled that.

A vast quantity and variety of mines had been laid and not just in out of the way locations. The hazard to civilians (especially children) and service personnel was enormous. On June 14th Major Roddy McDonald, the OC of 59 Independent Squadron Royal Engineers managed to track down the Argentine chief engineer, one Lt. Col Dorago, in order to assess the scale of the mine problem. Other personnel from 59 joined in, a warning was broadcast on local radio and through the military chain of command, and fourteen selected Argentine volunteers were utilised to complete the recce.

By the end of the day, the full realisation of the scale of the Argentine mining and booby trapping efforts had become apparent.

It was staggering.

They simply did not know how many or where mines had been laid, records were incomplete or incorrect, markers had been removed and mines had shifted in peat and deep sand. The problem was made worse because the Argentine chain of command allowed almost any unit to lay mines, marines, artillery and all manner of infantry units, not just the professional combat engineers. After a number of casualties the clearance effort changed to one of ‘marking only’

The POW volunteer force of Argentine combat engineers expanded, formed a close working relationship with British forces and received special privileges and pay not enjoyed by other POW’s. A joint guard of honour and bugler were provided for the burials of Argentine soldiers discovered during the clearance operations and in thanks for the rapid medevac and treatment of an injured Argentine member of the demining team they paid for and cooked a barbecue for British members of the team and OC of 9 Parachute Squadron RE.

9 PARA left for the UK on the 17th July and were replaced in the mine clearance role by 69 Ghurka Independent Field Squadron RE.

There was a lot of sympathy/pity for the prisoners of war but that understandably evaporated when the scale of booby trapping and vindictive sabotage became known. Argentine forces had deliberately set many complex booby traps in the latter stages of the conflict in civilian houses and places of business. These were often linked to attractive items like boots, binoculars or thermos flasks and many of the discarded munitions were also booby trapped, some even attached to propane cylinders. Water supply in Port Stanley was always a problem, Argentine forces even turned all the taps on in houses they occupied and opened fire hydrants. Desalination equipment was lost on the Atlantic Conveyor, as well as tentage for five thousand personnel, exacerbating the problems. 9 Squadron and 61 Field Support Squadron RE managed to get water supplies running after four days and this was supplemented with water dracones towed into Port Stanley harbour.

In addition, to mines and booby traps, an equally huge problem was that of unexploded munitions of every kind. Everything from small arms ammunition to napalm canisters to anti-aircraft missiles to flares were strewn around the area, half opened and often poorly accounted for.

‘Dumdum’ small arms ammunition was found in addition to a large stock of SA-7 MANPAD missiles fresh off the plane from Col. Gadaffi. Grenades, flares, rockets, cannon shells, mortar bombs, small arms ammunition, aircraft bombs, missiles, napalm, and artillery ammunition all needed to be tackled. Unboxed ammunition was recovered to the UK but anything else was made safe and destroyed by a combined Royal Navy, Royal Army Ordnance Corps, Royal Engineers and Royal Air Force team of EOD specialists.

Repatriating Argentine personnel and maintaining good order was made worse by the gulf between their officers and other ranks, a gulf, generally speaking, filled with a deep dislike bordering on hatred. This was plainly a result of the huge difference in the way they were both treated; officers had different, and larger, rations packs for example, including whiskey and cigarettes. The Globe Store was burned down by Argentine soldiers because they thought it was where their officers were accommodated and but for officers being allowed to retain their side arms, many might not have made it home.

For the most part, Argentine forces were well beaten and looking forward to going home, some weren’t though, the marines, for example, marched to the weapons surrender point and promptly burned their colours lest they become a souvenir in some Officers Mess in the UK.

Indeed, there were a number of slight lapses of UK military discipline as the acquisition of trophy’s and venting steam threatened to spoil the atmosphere. As Jeremy Edmund Shackleton Larken, British officer commanded HMS Fearless during Falklands War, 1982 commented that there was a;

a general acquisitive approach to liberating Argentine equipment

This was quickly dealt with.

The area of Port Stanley, a town that normally supported about 800 people, was no home to ten thousand POW’s, about five thousand UK military personnel, and of course, the permanent residents.

And all this was before the problems of the airport had been addressed.

There were three broad objectives for the British Forces;

ONE; Re-establish basic air operations at Stanley Airport such that they could support Harrier and Hercules aircraft. This would allow much of the task force, especially the aircraft carriers, to return to the UK, and replacement forces to arrive quickly.

TWO; Extend and reinforce Stanley Airport to allow the Harriers to depart and be replaced with Phantoms.

THREE; Select a suitable location for a large military airfield that could support all current and future combat and transport aircraft.

RAF Stanley – Phase One

Stanley Airport, formerly BAM Malvinas, was in an equally poor state as Port Stanley.

The image below reportedly taken the day after the surrender, shows Stanley Airport

Day after surrender.

Prisoners were an added complication around the airport in the days after surrender. Many of them were temporarily accommodated at the airport, it was an obvious place, easily contained, safe, yet surrounded by their own mines and with only one means of access before Boxer Bridge was built by 25 Field Squadron Royal Engineers in 1983.

Surrender

Clearance

The first task to conduct a survey and make safe any exploded munitions, booby traps and mines, of which there were plenty.

This task would fall to both the Royal Engineers and Royal Air Force EOD teams. No.1 Bomb Disposal Group RAF would play a considerable part in clearing Stanley Airport of unexploded munitions but that had a difficult start to the campaign. On the 27th of match they boarded RFA Sir Bedivere with all their vehicles and equipment but when loading had completed, were ordered off again. Another four man team clearing unexploded cluster bomblets from the West Freugh range in Scotland had been killed and the embarked team were disembarked in order to complete the task. The team would eventually join the task force by being flown to Ascension Island to catch up with Sir Bedivere. The team cleared munitions in San Carlos and Goose Green, especially the leaking napalm cannisters and mines at Goose Green. By the time the team had finished its deployment, it had cleared over 900 unexploded bombs, numerous mines and booby traps and tonnes of napalm.

The Argentine aircraft that were left at Stanley Airport were also cleared of booby traps, munitions removed and to prevent accidents by the ever present ‘trophy hunters’ the ejection seats were removed (firing the ejection seats was also used to initiate booby traps)

Once made safe, aircraft were then moved to an assembly area for eventual disposal

A number of PoW’s volunteered for removing none explosive debris and sweeping the runway after they assumed that such endeavours would earn them a priority ticket home, quite how they came to this belief has never been determined!

A number of Exocet missiles were also found, the canisters which would be used later.

Making Good the Runway

During the conflict, the runway was cratered by 5 bombs. The first and deepest was from Black Buck I and the others were much shallower, from retarded bombs dropped by the Sea Harriers/Harrier GR.3a’s. There were also over 1,000 shallow scabs from rockets, BL 755 bomblets, 4.5” shells and cannon fire.

59 Commando Squadron Royal Engineers (with a troop from 20 Field Squadron) filled in three craters and about 500 of the scabs on the Northern half of the runway, the repairs were made by using magnesium phosphate cement called Bostik 276.

The thousand pound bomb craters on the runway were backfilled and a quantity of AM-2 repair matting used to cover them. It was also discovered that Argentine engineers had used filled oil drums to fill the Vulcan crater, these were removed

his allowed the runway to be used for planned Hercules flights.

The first RAF Hercules landed on the 24th of June 1982, ten days after the surrender, a magnificent, and generally unrecognised achievement.

Harrier Operations and Airport Development

Using PSA-1 from the Port San Carlos FOB and a quantity of AM-2 matting left at the airport a short parallel runway, to the north of the main runway, was also created for use by Harriers.

The RAF Harrier GR.3 detachment, armed with Sidewinders, went ashore to Port Stanley Airport on the 4th of July and operated in the air defence role. A number of Rhubb shelters were installed to provide sheltered maintenance spaces but the weather was so severe, a number were dislodged and damaged aircraft.

11 Field Squadron Royal Engineers also supported the repair effort and as can be imagined, the tasks were extremely varied. Not widely known is that in order to create a drainage culvert, the engineers used a pair of empty Exocet missile containers.

In addition, to the runway, the airport support facilities were enhanced greatly and the sign was changed as well.

After a rough year Cristina Fernandez names new top heads of the Armed Forces

In a surprise move Argentine President Cristina Fernández replaced the top heads of the armed forces and appointed Brigadier General Luis María Carena as the new head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The changes announced on Wednesday come just a few weeks after former lawmaker Augstín Rossi was named new Defence minister.

Carena replaces Jorge Alberto Chevalier, and Division General César Milani will assume as Army Chief of Staff instead of Lieutenant General Luis Alberto Pozzi.

Rear Admiral Gastón Fernando Erice will replace Admiral Daniel Alberto Enrique Martín as the new navy’s Chief of Staff while Mayor Brigadier Mario Miguel Callejo takes command of the Air Force.

The changes don’t come as a surprise because the president had them in mind before removing Arturo Puricelli and sending him to Internal Security. Besides it was a tough twelve months with the injunction of the ARA Libertad in Ghana; the poor performance of the Navy and the total failure of this year’s Antarctic campaign, among other issues.

President Cristina Fernandez and the new Minister of Defence Rossi thanked the leaving generals in an official document, where they expressed their gratitude “to those who accomplished in this time such important responsibilities, putting all their energy, their intelligence and capability to the service of the Homeland”.

The document included a special mention for Brigadier General Chevalier “who accompanied us during the last decade, and was part of the first changes impulsed by Néstor Kirchner when he just took office”.

However, this sudden change might be connected not only to Rossi’s new position but with Nilda Garré, former Security minister, who left office a month ago.

Earlier today, the Kirchnerite officials tried to approve without success, Congress authorization for Garre’s designation as the new ambassador in the Organization of Americans States (OAS). 

Opposition Senators managed to block a vote demanding some aspects of her assets statements were ‘not clear’.

Falklands/South Georgia dispute placed by Argentina under the CCALMR umbrella

 The Buenos Aires media is reporting a potential incident situation in South Georgia waters which could erupt into something more complicated from the moment the Argentine research vessel ‘Eduardo Holmberg’ has been involved in scientific activities in a zone which last year was declared by the UK as a Maritime Protected Area, MPA, and which Argentina does not recognize since it considers it ‘an area in dispute’.

The presentation of the issue says that “the Argentine government has started a scientific research campaign in adjoining and coastal waters of the South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands which together with the Malvinas are part of the sovereignty dispute with the UK. The Foreign Ministry initiative together with the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries looks to consolidate the presence (of Argentina) under the umbrella of the Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, CCAMLR”

Because Argentina and Britain are full members of CCAMLR, the government of President Cristina Fernandez sent a letter to CCAMLR announcing the scientific research cruise in the South Georgia South Sandwich Islands area, which as is the norm was then distributed to its members.

But the notification allegedly triggered a letter from Jane Rumble, head of Polar Regions Desk in the Foreign Office to CCAMLR chairperson Andrew Wright, in which the UK expresses its surprise and disappointment with Argentina’s notification procedure, “since Argentina did not have the courtesy of previously communicating us regarding the research it was about to begin in our jurisdictional waters”.

According to the Buenos Aires media the research cruise from INIDEP (Argentina’s National Fisheries Research and Development Institute) left Mar del Plata last 26 April and is currently off the west coast of South Georgia involved in the “Study on the situation of marine biology resources in the sub-area 48.3 and its links with the Weddell-Scotia Confluence”. The study is in combination with the Argentine Antarctic Institute. The cruise is expected to last a month and collect all the data possible on the condition of demersal species along the sea bed.

However since the imposition by the UK of the one million square kilometres MPA surrounding South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands, “there are zones banned for fishing and UK attributed itself the right to regulate and issue fishing licences”, says the Argentine media.

According to Ms Rumble from the Polar Regions Desk, the area is under the jurisdiction of “the government from South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands” and as such under Falkland Islands governor Nigel Haywood mandate, and warns “that in the MPA the use of deep trawling nets is banned as well as any other fisheries related activities in some areas including the 12 nautical miles surrounding Georgia, Shag Rocks and Clarke Rocks, unless a specific permission has been issued”.

However here is the interesting part: “in an attempt to show that Argentina effectively requested the authorization, (which since Argentina as full member of CCALMR does need such a licence), Governor Haywood effectively extended Permit WPA/2013/011, stating that ‘following on Section 21 of the Protected Areas Ordinance, I hereby authorize the fisheries research vessel Eduardo Holmberg to proceed with the scientific research notified to CCALMR on 12 February 2013’”.

But the Malvinas Desk from the Argentine Foreign Office rejected point blank the British authorization, since the Islands are under British domain but “their sovereignty is in dispute in the UN, besides the fact they are scientific research activities from a CCALMR full member and oriented to the conservation of the Antarctic ecosystem”.

According to the Argentine version of events published in Buenos Aires, Ms Rumble concluded stating that “the Argentine notification does not give precise details about the research operation area. We would feel extremely disappointed if they choose to ignore the potential damage to the most vulnerable zones surrounding South Georgia with the activities proposed for the research and we would expect they contact us to guarantee that it can be considered a wide-ranging environmental survey”

 

The Foreign Office official asked chairperson Wright to have the text distributed among CCALMR full members.

Argentina Propaganda - Falkland Islands: “British sovereignty over the Islands as such, is not accepted by the European Parliament”

“British sovereignty over the Malvinas Islands as such is not accepted by the European Parliament”, according to a visiting delegation of EU lawmakers who met with their Argentine peers in Buenos Aires.

The Falklands issue was brought up by Senator Daniel Filmus, head of the Foreign Affairs committee in the framework of a meeting with a delegation from the EU Commission for relations with Mercosur countries, headed by MEP Luis Yañez Barnuevo from Spain.

Senator Filmus as part of the talks on the stalled Mercosur/EU cooperation and trade agreement suggested to his peers that an additional effort to help Argentina establish a bilateral dialogue with the UK on the Malvinas issue would be very positive for the whole range of issues.

“To advance in the strengthening of the accords it would be beneficial if the EU would commit itself to help so that the UK sits at a table to dialogue bilaterally on the Malvinas question” said Filmus.

He added that the diplomatic path “is the only path we conceive and we stress this position in support of dialogue in all the international forums we participate”.

Senator Filmus claimed that the UK is taking advantage of the dispute to ‘militarize’ the South Atlantic and to extract natural resources that belong to the region.

“There is a growing consensus related to this issue and it’s that both sides must sit to discuss it. Militarization and extracting natural resources has implications not only for territorial sovereignty and integration but also economic for our region”, underlined Senator Filmus.

It was then that MEP Yañez Barnuevo and head of the EU delegation ratified that for the European Parliament “British sovereignty over the (Malvinas) Islands as such, is not accepted”.

However the MEP and his colleagues, Jean Pierre Audy, Josefa Andres Barea y Mario Pirillo asked about the seizure last year of YPF from Spain’s Repsol.

Senator Sonia Escudero said that the reasons to advance over 51% of YPF shares “was directly related to the fact that production and reserves of oil and gas under the Spanish administration had collapsed over 40%, while 100% profits were distributed and debts had also ballooned”.

“This caused serious energy provision difficulties for Argentina, and thus the decision”, added Senator Escudero.

Finally the Argentine lawmakers called for a recovery of the favourable climate that has always signalled relations with the EU, although expressing some apprehensions.

“We observe certain aggressiveness from the EU and some of its member states against Argentina, following the decision to nationalize YPF, which is contrary to the historical links and friendship between the two regions”, admitted Senator Escudero.

Falklands claims UN Decolonization chair is not acting with impartiality

The Falkland Islands government complained on Tuesday that the Chairman of the UN Decolonization Committee, Ambassador Diego Morejón Pazmiño is not acting with the impartiality that his role demands and revealed a letter, which remains unanswered, inviting the ambassador to visit the Falklands matching his informative trip to Argentina on the sovereignty of the Islands dispute.

The Falklands’ release refers to an interview published by the Argentine newspaper Tiempo Argentino where Mr Morejón Pazmiño, last 8 October, is quoted making statements “that, if reported accurately, would conflict with his role as an impartial C24 Chairman” and with a later interview in the same media (November 10) with the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who stated people should be able to plan and govern their own future, which “is the main criteria of relevant UN bodies”.

The Falklands government letter dated 18 October to Ambassador Morejón Pazmiño points out that it is clear from the Tiempo Argentino interview and other speeches in the past, “that you have already decided that the Falkland Islands should be ceded to Argentina against the clear wishes of its people. This is in direct conflict with the United Nations principle of self determination”.

Further on the letter underlines that the Chair of C24 has visited Argentina “so as to better inform yourself in this matter and yet you have failed to do what any impartial Chair would then do, namely to visit the Falkland Islands, speak to Elected Members and talk to our people”.

The letter also mentions the fact that Ambassador Morejón Pazmiño admits to have been chosen to the C24 Chair “as candidates in the Caribbean were thought to be biased” on the issue of the sovereignty dispute.

After recalling that the Falklands are a self-governing Overseas Territory of the UK, (“on our own choosing”), the letter says that “we are a thriving democracy with a modern Constitution. We elect our own Government in a democratic manner, make our own laws and run our own affairs. We neither receive funds from nor send monies to the United Kingdom”.

The letter also rebukes statements of alleged ‘militarization’, reminding the C24 chair that the only reason there are military forces in the Falklands is “as a result of our country being invaded by Argentina in 1982”.

Finally the elected Members of the Falkland Island Government “yet again extend an invitation to you and other members of the C 24 to visit the Falkland Islands before the next meeting of the Committee so as to better inform yourselves of the real situation here”.

It must also be said that the Falklands government states that “the Decolonisation Committee is seen by most people as an outdated, ineffective and partial Committee and your actions as Chair have brought its reputation even further into disrepute”.

Follows the complete text of the letter addressed to the C24 Chair:

“Dear Ambassador,

I write to you on behalf of the Members of the Falkland Island Legislative Assembly. We were concerned to read your comments on the Falkland Islands as reported recently in Tiempo Argentino.

In the article you rightly say that the Falkland Islands are no longer a colony. The modern Falkland Islands are a self-governing overseas territory of the United Kingdom; a situation of our own choosing.

We are a thriving democracy with a modern Constitution. We elect our own Government in a democratic manner, make our own laws and run our own affairs. We neither receive funds from nor send monies to the United Kingdom.

As the Chair of a United Nations Committee you are bound to uphold the values of that institution and to act in a democratic and impartial manner. You state that you were chosen to Chair this committee as candidates in the Caribbean were thought to be biased.

However, it is clear from this report, and from other speeches in the past, that you have already decided that the Falkland Islands should be ceded to Argentina against the clear wishes of its people. This is in direct conflict with the United Nations principle of self determination.

You have visited Argentina so as to better inform yourself in this matter and yet you have failed to do what any impartial Chair would then do, namely to visit the Falkland Islands, speak to Elected Members and talk to our people.

You also claim that the United Kingdom has failed to respond to Argentina’s claims of militarisation of the Falkland Islands.

I would first remind you that the only reason there are military forces here is as a result of our country being invaded by Argentina in 1982. On the specific point, I would refer you to the written reply of 22nd February 2012 from the United Kingdom Government to the Government of Argentina.

The Decolonisation Committee is seen by most people as an outdated, ineffective and partial Committee and your actions as Chair have brought its reputation even further into disrepute. The elected Members of the Falkland Island Government yet again extend an invitation to you and other members of the committee to visit the Falkland Islands before the next meeting of the Committee so as to better inform yourselves of the real situation here.

Yours sincerely,

The Honourable Dr Barry Elsby MLA,
On behalf of Members of the Falkland Islands Legislative Assembly”

Argentine military governor of the Falklands arrested for human rights violations

The military governor of the Falkland Islands during Argentina’s brief occupation of the archipelago in 1982 was detained for his alleged role in human rights abuses at a notorious torture center in the 1970s, prosecutors said Thursday.

General Mario Benjamin Menendez allegedly was head of a torture centre in 1975 during the “Operation Independence” in the province of Tucuman

Former Gen. Mario Benjamin Menendez was arrested at his home in Buenos Aires on Wednesday and transferred to a federal prison in Tucuman province, 1.300 kilometers north of Argentina’s capital.

The 82-year-old Menendez was briefly governor of the Falklands after Argentina occupied the Islands by force in April 1982. It subsequently lost control when British troops retook the Islands and the Argentine troops surrendered on 14 June 1982.

His arrest relates to ‘‘La Escuelita,’’ a torture center in Tucuman province that he allegedly helped run in 1975, the year before the military coup that ushered in Argentina’s 1976-1983 dictatorship, the attorney general’s office said Thursday. Prosecutors said he was head of the ‘‘Tactical Command Post’’ at the center.

A unit of the Marxist Cuban trained Revolutionary People’s Army, ERP, operated in the mountains of Tucuman in 1974, and the civilian government in power at the time ordered a crackdown on the group. The campaign was called “Operation Independence”.

Prosecutors say 1.507 suspects passed through the center between Feb. 10 and Dec. 18, 1975, part of a systematic campaign of repression against dissidents and leftists ahead of the coup.

From February to December 1975, thirty military units were involved in the operation including border guards and federal police which also helped to disband sugar industry unions and militant student organizations.

The operation was under the command of General Adel Edgardo Vilas and later by General Antonio Domingo Bussi, who died in jail in 2008 condemned for human rights abuses. But he was also a successful politician and was voted governor of Tucuman under democracy.

Besides Menendez, 21 other people have been arrested across Argentina in connection with the case. Among them is a cousin of Menendez, former Col. Jose Maria Menendez, who is under house arrest.

Another military officer arrested former Colonel Walter Saborido, was deputy governor candidate in Tucuman’s last elections running for a party called La Linea which supposedly rallied all those who somehow were involved in the “Operation Independence”. He owns a security company which employs 200 people.

ARA Libertad conflict forces the resignation of the Argentine navy chief

The ARA Libertad conflict retained in Ghana has a new victim: Argentina’s Navy chief of staff Admiral Carlos Alberto Paz tendered his resignation and was replaced by his deputy Vice-Admiral Daniel Alberto Martin.

 Vice-Admiral Martin was involved in the Falklands conflict with the ‘Santa Fe’ submarine

Admiral Paz resignation was tendered before Minister of Defence Arturo Puriceili after it was announced that two Navy officers had been relieved from their command and an investigation was opened to determine responsibilities in the decision to make the ARA Libertad frigate dock in the Tema port.

Vice-admiral Martin was designated by President Cristina Fernández and confirmed by Presidential spokesman Alfredo Scoccimarro at the Government House on Monday afternoon.

Martín was born in Quilmes, Buenos Aires province, on September 27, 1955. After studying at the Navy Lyceum “Almirante Guillermo Brown,” he graduated as Midshipman at the Army and Navy Academy.

He later specialized at the Submarines School and became an expert in submarine warfare and arms. He becomes the first submariner to occupy the highest post in the Argentine navy.

During the Falklands’ conflict he was part of the “Santa Fe” submarine crew that participated at the “Rosario” operation landing Argentine marines to invade the Islands on April 1982 and later supplying the occupied South Georgia base.

He was sent to the Argentine Embassy at the South African Republic in 2005 and 2006, where he worked as Defence, Naval, Army and Aeronautical Assistant.

The ARA Santa Fe was a Balao-class submarine which was lost during the Falklands conflict. Built during the Second World War, the submarine served in United States Navy as USS Catfish before being commissioned into the Argentine Navy in 1971. She served until 1982 when she was captured by the British at South Georgia after being seriously damaged and subsequently sank alongside a pier, with just her sail visible above the waterline. The submarine was raised, towed out of the bay and scuttled in deep waters in 1985.

Cristina Fernandez off to the UN General Assembly to claim Malvinas sovereignty

President Cristina Fernandez leaves this weekend for New York to attend the UN General Assembly where two of the main issues of the Argentine agenda will be the Malvinas Islands claim and AMIA, the terrorist attack on an Argentine Jewish institution in which allegedly Iran could have been involved.

The Argentine president has scheduled visits to two prestigious US universities

In the five days the president will be in the US, the schedule includes opening a forum of Argentine studies in Washington’s Georgetown University and a conference at Harvard University one of the US most prestigious institutions.

President Cristina Fernandez also has scheduled meetings with US corporations including Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson precisely when Argentina’s recently seized oil and gas company YPF is looking for foreign investments to help develop gas and oil shale deposits in Patagonia.

On Monday the president will be visiting a photo show dedicated to Evita Peron at the Argentine consulate in New York: “Evita: passion and action”.

One of the Argentine president’s great aspirations, a picture with US president Obama could be becoming on two occasions: on Tuesday during the traditional lunch hosted by the White House to all world leaders attending the UN annual assembly and a cocktail at the Waldorf Astoria hotel on Wednesday evening also invitation of the US leader. However Cristina Fernandez has yet to confirm attendance.

On Tuesday Cristina Fernandez will address the UN General Assembly (16.30, Argentine time) and one of the issues to be considered is the AMIA terrorist attack from 1994, still unsolved, and for which the Iranian Foreign minister has requested an unexpected meeting with his Argentine peer Hector Timerman while in New York.

Argentina accuses former Iranian officials of direct involvement in the attack against the Jewish institution in the heart of Buenos Aires and as in previous occasions Cristina Fernandez will formally request Teheran to collaborate with the judicial investigation.

However last year following on the Iranian initiative to hold bilateral talks, the Argentine delegates did not abandon the hall when the Iranian president addressed the assembly.

The other big issue is the Falklands/Malvinas claim and calling on the UK to resume talks, following on her aggressive campaign when last June she personally spoke at the Decolonisation Committee or C24 on the 30th anniversary of the invasion of the Islands by Argentine forces which led to a full fledged 74 day conflict with Britain that recovered the Falklands.

On Wednesday she flies to Washington for the opening of the Argentine Studies office at Georgetown University. Basically it will act as a forum for discussions and interactions between Argentine officials, politicians, business people, academics and their US peers.

Thursday is Boston, to give a conference at Harvard and from there the return flight to Argentina on Tango 01.