Falklands’ lawmakers meet Chaco human rights group following formal Argentine request

 On request from a group of human rights representatives from Chaco, Argentina, Falkland Islands lawmakers met and listened to their views on a number of issues resulting from the 1982 war. The meeting followed a formal request from the group directly to the Falklands elected Legislative Assembly.

''The meeting, which took place in the Liberation Room at the Secretariat in Stanley, followed a formal request from the group that was made directly to the Falklands elected Legislative Asembly.'

The Argentine delegation included three regional politicians with specific responsibilities for human rights in the Chaco province along with the Chairman and Secretary of the human rights group. The Falklands were represented by MLA Dick Sawle and MLA Mike Summers.

The official release from Gilbert House stated that:

The Falkland Islands Legislative Assembly recently agreed that two of its members should meet with five representatives of a human rights group from Chaco, Argentina in order to listen to their views on a number of issues resulting from the 1982 war.

MLAs Dick Sawle and Mike Summers attended the meeting following a request from the group made directly to the Falkland Islands Legislative Assembly. Three regional Argentine politicians with specific responsibilities for human rights in the Chaco region attended the meeting, along with the Chairman and Secretary of the human rights group.

Following the meeting, MLA Sawle said: “The Falkland Islands are a modern democracy, and we uphold fundamental values such as freedom of speech and human rights. On humanitarian grounds, it was only right that we should listen to the views of this group who are actively involved in investigating the cases of abuse of many Argentine veterans who suffered greatly at the hands of their own officers during the invasion of the Falkland Islands in 1982. However, whilst we may listen to their views on a variety of issues, on the specific issue of DNA testing we have made it very clear that we can only consider any practical action if and when we receive a request from the International Red Cross which must have the full and unequivocal support of the Families Commission in Argentina.”

MLA Mike Summers said: “It is notable that an Argentine group such as this recognise the legitimate and democratically elected Government of the Falkland Islands, and should request this meeting. We made it clear to the group that all peoples, including Falkland Islanders, have human rights, and that the current approach of the Argentine Government is unhelpful in achieving any co-operation. The wishes of families are important, but the political context will be a determining factor.”
 

Falklands’ dispute triggers concern among Argentine tourism operators after two cruises omit Ushuaia

Ushuaia tourism operators expressed concern and called for common sense to prevail after two major cruises finally decided this week not to call at in Argentine Tierra del Fuego after local authorities could not guarantee that the visiting vessels would not be exposed to the same intimidation tactics and delays experienced recently in Buenos Aires and earlier this year in the extreme south terminal because they include the Falkland Islands in their itineraries.

The Ushuaia terminal is the main cruise hub of the extreme south…so far

After a letter sent with the guarantees request went unanswered, Seabourn Sojourn and Veendam with 450 and 1.300 visitors simply omitted calling and/or landing in Ushuaia and reports from the local media indicate that Holland America Line has decided to cancel future calls and the mother corporation Carnival Corporation is considering new itineraries for its cruise vessels in the rest of the season.

The two vessels apparently after omitting Ushuaia, called at Punta Arenas, Chile in the Magellan Strait, another important cruise terminal in the extreme south of the continent.

Earlier this month the Seabourn Sojourn was boarded in Buenos Aires by a gang of radical thugs, with the support of the maritime workers union and the passivity of law enforcement agents and delayed until forced to sign a commitment not to call again at the Falklands, based on a bill approved by several Patagonia provinces, the so called Gaucho Rivero law, which bans from Argentine ports vessels involved in oil related activities in the Falklands, but which is interpreted and made extensive to all commercial activities.

After several hours and having signed the cruise left for Uruguay, visiting Montevideo and Punta del Este, and this week was again expected in Ushuaia after calling at the Falklands.

The Ushuaia newspaper Diario del Fin del Mundo also published that because of the incidents allegedly Seabourne Sojourn is going to omit Ushuaia and other Argentine ports and sail between Uruguay and Chile via the Falkland Islands.

Chile has again become a main attraction for the cruise industry after Congress passed a bill ending a ban on casino and gambling on board vessels while sailing in Chilean waters. Punta Arenas the hub of cruise activity in southern Chile will be visited this season by 52 vessels with an estimated 62.000 visitors, according to local authorities.

But the harassment and intimidation by Argentine radical thugs with official ‘complicity’, of cruise vessels calling in the Falklands and Argentina has not gone down with out protests not only from the Foreign Office.

The president of the Ushuaia Chamber of Tourism, Marcelo Lietti, as he did earlier this year, warned that the implementation of the Gaucho Rivero Law is having an economic impact on the local tourism industry and related activities.

Speaking to a local Ushuaia radio Lietti said that the cruise companies have sold packages including the Malvinas so it is hard to see how they can avoid that leg since they can be exposed to legal demands and regarding the Gaucho Rivero Law he admitted that it is a provincial bill and foreign companies work on the basis of ‘national (federal) legislation’.

But what is important “we estimate a loss of 18.000 visitors this season if this continues. This means loss of jobs and activity for many small shops that live from the tourism industry” said Lietti who anticipated he would address local authorities because “these are not the methods to claim a national cause we all support”.

Likewise cruise operator Fabio de Souza, head of Tolkeyen Patagonia called for common sense to prevail and said “we have nothing to argue regarding the sovereignty claim, but we fear a contagion effect from other cruise lines and a boomerang effect for our local economy if this continues”.

“It is a complicated situation because even when the provincial government authorizes cruise vessels to call and extends the permits, a group of activists flying the Gaucho Rivero flag will not allow vessels going or coming from Malvinas to berth in Ushuaia”, said de Souza.

This week “we had this situation with two vessels while others are already talking about omitting Ushuaia for the rest of the season because of lack of guarantees by local authorities, according to the information we have”.

“We have nothing to argue regarding the sovereign claim over Malvinas, but we are beginning to have a boomerang effect and we don’t know where the conflict is going to end and how it is going to end”, added de Souza.

He pointed out that the cruise industry is dominated by two or three main corporations, highly competitive but when the interests of the industry are involved ‘they can act very much as a corporation looking for what is better for all of them”.

De Souza went on to say that leaving aside the additional complication “the current cruise season was not entirely good since although we could be receiving more calls (up 16%) the fact is that the vessels have less visitors, maybe working with 70% of last year’s average”.

The head of Tolkeyen Patagonia pointed out that the loss of activity in Ushuaia will be captured by Punta Arenas in Chile.

“Let’s not be foolish: our Chilean neighbours will take full advantage of the situation and will receive the cruise vessels with open arms. They will try again to make Punta Arenas the Antarctic logistics and cruise hub of the extreme south, a position currently held by Ushuaia”, insisted de Souza.

“Let’s hope common sense prevails and some kind of understanding can be reached because there are many jobs at stake and a whole industry based on the cruise visits and related activities”, concluded de Souza.

Argentine 'President' to Harvard students: there is no ‘dollar clamp’; don’t repeat monochord questions

President Cristina Fernandez speaking at Harvard University denied there was a “dollar clamp”, chided some students for making the same “monochord questions” as the Argentine media, attacked the IMF and finally described a question on her wish for re-re-election as ‘abstract’ since it does not depend from her or a single party.

Cristina Fernandez at the Kennedy school of government came out aggressive.

“There is no such thing as a dollar clamp in Argentina”, said strongly Cristina Fernandez on Thursday addressing students as the Kennedy School of Government forum.

“The dollar clamp is a ‘media made up phrase’; Argentina is the second country with dollars after the US, but we had a problem during the last election because of strong rumours that said we were planning to devalue. This led to the flight of four billion dollars in cash, stacked away, something which does not happen in Brazil, Chile or Colombia”, underlined CFK.

“There is great misunderstanding about the issue and much media muddling. I’m not blaming anybody; I also had a deposit in US dollars”.

However addressing the student who was Argentine the president asked him if it was a fair question to ask about the so-called dollar clamp.

“Do you have an idea of how many Argentines can’t even make it to the University of La Matanza (a poor neighbourhood of Buenos Aires and stronghold of the dominating Peronist movement)?

On re-re-election the president was evasive.

“It’s not whether I want it, but rather of what I can and should do. It is an abstract question because the Constitution does not allow a third mandate. At home we discuss many things, a constitutional reform does depend on me or an only political party”, said CFK.

Another student asked about her patrimony to which the president said she could give an account of each of her assets and added “my economic position is because I’ve worked all my life and because I have been a very successful solicitor”.

An Argentine student timidly said he felt one of the few privileged Argentines because he could ask the President and then brought up the issue of the government’s ‘self-criticism’.

“That short phrase you are using. Look, I’ve talked with millions of Argentines. It seems I was numb. You are intelligent kids you can’t go around repeating in monochord what two or three journalists have come up with”, said CFK increasingly annoyed by some of the questions.

As in previous speeches in the US and before answering questions CFK was particularly critical of multilateral organizations and at the same underlined the successful policies of her administration.

“We can’t say we are living in Disney World. Argentina is no paradise or Disney but we have improved our situation”, she said in reference to policies implemented in the country since 2003.

She then went after the IMF. “International multilateral bodies evidently are not working, and not recently, but from a long time back”.

On the current economic crisis that the developed countries are living in CFK affirmed that “the economic conflict has turned political,” and added that “as a president, I'm obliged to protect the Argentines' reserves”.

She added that “the core of the international crisis was that they went from a production economy to believe that money could reproduce by money itself.”

And regarding the 2008 financial crisis of the United States, the Argentine president reminded that “the investment banks had built a series of economic derivatives that led to the collapse of banking institutions”.

With a degree of irony CFK said that Argentine sovereign debt ballooned in the nineties with the one Peso-one dollar convertibility system implemented by then Finance minister Domingo Cavallo. “I believe that at some time he (Cavallo) taught here in Harvard, well what he did is Argentina was totally absurd”.

When asked about the controversy generated around the dubious rates and indexes release by the Indec stats agency such as the inflation rate, the President obligingly responded by asking what the US annual inflation rate was, to then unwittingly add: “but give me the official rate”.

Informed it was around 2% on annual average, CFK just said: “Oh, really? Come on! And you believe that? If Argentina's inflation rate was at 25% like some people say, the country will blow up in the air”.

CFK also had time for a quick reference to the bilateral conflict with the UK over the Falkland Islands and again attacked multilateral organizations.

“The UN Security Council has lost all functionality because we are in a new scenario, with problems totally different to those after World War II”.

According to the Buenos Aires media over 2.800 graduates and under graduates registered for the Argentine president conference. However since the capacity of the forum is 700 they had to draw lots for the seats.

Another group of an estimated fifty Argentine residents were also waiting anxious to meet President Cristina Fernandez when she walked into Harvard University, but as in Buenos Aires banging pots and pans and with signs complaining about “Korruption” lack of security, no re-re-election and more respect for the Argentine media.

Before flying to Boston for the conference at Harvard Cristina Fernandez received the president of the Exxon Mobile Corporation, Rex Tillerson.

The meeting took place at the Mandarin Oriental hotel in New York at 5:30 pm (local time). Also present in the meeting were Argentine ambassador to the US Jorge Argüello, Legal and Technical secretary Carlos Zannini and presidential spokesman Alfredo Scoccimarro.

On Thursday night, Fernández de Kirchner had confirmed that Tillerson had requested to meet with her during her stay in the US.

Following the Harvard appointment the Argentine president and her delegation were scheduled to leave from Boston arriving in Buenos Aires early Friday morning.

Defence of Argentine sovereignty over The BRITISH Falklands Islands has become “a regional issue”

The Argentine ambassador in London Alicia Castro said that South America has reached such a degree of unity that it is possible to think “on the defence of Argentine sovereignty over the BRITISH Falklands Islands in regional terms”.

Ambassador Castro. “We are celebrating a second independence with unity” Ambassador Castro. “We are celebrating a second independence with unity”

Ms Castro said that “Jose de San Martin and Simon Bolivar conceived the well being of our peoples based on two correlated achievements: independence and unity. Once achieved the first from the Spanish empire, the concept of unity vanished”.

The ambassador’s speech was in commemoration of Argentina’s Independence Day, Monday July 9 during the annual reception at the embassy with over 600 guests including Argentines living in the UK, diplomats and members of the Foreign Office.

“Currently in South America things have changed: we celebrate together, and as our President Cristina Fernandez likes to say “we are celebrating a second independence”.

And more specifically issues such as “our defence of Argentine sovereignty over the BRITISH Falklands Islands is done in regional terms”. She added South America is increasingly aware of “the significance of territorial integrity, control over natural resources and sovereignty”

Ambassador Castro added that “the region is capable of recovering economic protagonism in a world in crisis, capable of sharing cultural values and above all capable of generating a constructive dialogue among all nations to promote a multi-polar world order”

In another passage of her speech the ambassador expressed “consternation at the rupture of democratic order” in Paraguay with the removal from office of former president Fernando Lugo and replacement by his former Vice president Federico Lugo.

The ambassador also celebrated the incorporation of Venezuela to Mercosur and recalled that in 2006 the Argentine congress approved the project promoting the admission of Venezuela. Ms Castro before London was ambassador in Venezuela and a close friend of President Hugo Chavez.

The ceremony in the embassy started with the national hymn and was followed by a display of tango by some of the Argentine residents in London.

MPs call for UK to vote against World Bank loans to Argentina to counter Falklands’ aggression

Twenty nine British MPs have called for Britain to vote against Argentina receiving any more money from the World Bank. The group signed an early day motion in Parliament that was put forward by Conservative MP for Romford, Andrew Rosindell, who had previously visited the Falklands.

Tory MP Andrew Rosindell a strong supporter of the Falklands presented the motion

The motion appealed for the Government to follow the example of the United States and vote against the World Bank lending any more money to Argentina.

The early day motion read: “That this House notes that despite repeated attacks on Britain and the right of Falkland Islanders to remain British, Argentina receives substantial loans from the World Bank.

“It is an organisation in which Britain is a major shareholder, and that the Government does not use its votes to oppose those loans; further notes that, as of March 2012, total outstanding loans to Argentina from the World Bank were 16.2 billion dollars, of which Britain’s share amounted to over 200 million.

“We welcome the decision by President Obama’s administration in the US to adopt a policy of voting against any new loans to Argentina on account of its failure to respect its obligations to earlier lenders; and call on the Government to vote against any new World Bank loans to Argentina”.

Likewise the UK Tax Payers’ Alliance last month launched an online petition called StopFundingArgentina.org. It urged British ministers to use their votes to oppose further loans of the World Bank to Argentina.

A spokesman for the Taxpayers’ Alliance said: ‘Britain can and should act to stop further World Bank loans to Argentina. This is a key opportunity to show that our aid policy reflects rather than ignores Britain’s broader national interests.

The Argentine government has launched recent attacks on British interests by advocating a boycott of British goods and has become increasingly aggressive in its sovereignty claims over the Falklands targeting the Islands economy and well-being of its people.

A spokesman for the British Department of International Development said: “No British taxpayers’ money is spent on World Bank loans to Argentina. The Secretary of State will consider Britain’s position on any future World Bank loans when the time comes”.

However, according to the Taxpayers Alliance Britain’s share of Argentina’s outstanding loans is over £225 million, based on the UK’s shareholding of the two World Bank institutions who lend to the country. (Penguin News)

‘DREAM ON’ - Puricelli in China praises the Hong Kong model as a good precedent for Malvinas

Argentine Defence Minister Arturo Puricelli currently on a visit to Beijing underlined defence cooperation with China and said the “Hong Kong model” was a significant precedent for “the Malvinas cause”.

The Argentine defence minister visited a plant where a helicopter is being jointly developed

“We’re signalling a new starting point for the construction of a real bilateral strategic association in defence cooperation with China”, said Puricelli during a conference at the Peoples Republic of China National University on Wednesday.

Earlier Puricelli and his counterpart Liang Guanglie had signed a new cooperation memorandum of understanding on defence issues.

Puricelli during the conference underlined the “sustained support from China for Argentina’s sovereignty claim over the Malvinas Islands and for the resumption of negotiations for a peaceful solution to the dispute following on the UN resolutions”.

“The experience of China in negotiating the recovery of Hong Kong means for us a relevant precedent for the dialogue we are expecting to have on Malvinas on a near future”.

Until 1997 Hong Kong was a British colony and is now one of the special regions of China where the administration model applied is that of one country, two systems.

Puricelli’s first visit to Beijing started holding private talks with Minister Liang Guanglie and the signing of the memorandum on defence cooperation which includes combined joint military exercises; exchange of instructors and experiences is such areas as UN peace missions plus collaboration in science, research and industry related to defence, among other things.

The Argentine minister later gave a second conference on Buenos Aires foreign policy main lines at the Defence School from the National University of China, which is the equivalent of the US West Point academy. Over 330 officers from the three services attended the conference.

“Argentina and China are strategic partners with relevant joint work projects in different political and economic areas” at the same he underlined the purpose of further “advancing links in defence issues”.

“Our country looks to consolidate new defence relations with China with whom we share from the strategic defence concept of our military instruments to a cooperative vision of international security”, pointed out Puricelli.

He added coincidences regarding strategic positions between Argentina and China are virtually total.

Puricelli later visited the National Defence Science, technology and industry administration where he met with Director General Cheng Qiu Fa and agreed to name a group in charge of bilateral talks to draft a specific accord on defence science and technology.

“China is becoming an important partner of our defence industry, starting with the accords between air industries FAdeA and CATIC on helicopters”, said Puricelli.

On this particular issue Puricelli was received by CATIC president and was informed of the advances regarding the multi-purpose helicopter with platform identified as CZ-11.

Among other activities the minister visited the military ground equipment factory, NORINCO where he was given an insight to the compound and the different products on show.

Puricelli’s visit continues this week in Shanghai where he will meet Chinese corporate leaders together with the 200-member business delegation from Argentina that travelled with him.

On Thursday the Defence minister is scheduled to visit China’s main naval base and seat of the VI Fleet of the East, the most powerful and an example of the growing naval strength of China.

Falklands’ government accepts content to discuss air links and fisheries with Argentina

The Falkland Islands government announced on Thursday it is content to hold preliminary talks with Argentina on air links and fisheries cooperation as was proposed by Argentine ambassador Alicia Castro to the Foreign Office last April 23, given certain clarifications.

In effect, in the reply letter addressed in early June to Ambassador Castro the FCO Overseas Territories Directorate states that Falklands’ flights issues should be subject to a commitment from the Argentine government that it will not seek to block the current Lan Chile air link and that there is a review of the policy of banning charter planes from over-flying Argentine space.

Likewise the Falklands and the UK are willing to resume discussions on the South Atlantic Fisheries Commission, SAFC, and resumption of scientific research cooperation for the broader objective of conservation in the South Atlantic.

Nevertheless the Falklands’ government insist that talks on fisheries cooperation should not be used as a forum for a discussion of sovereignty, “which the Falkland Islands people do not want”.

The letter from the Foreign Office points out to Ambassador Castro that the Argentine initiative was re-addressed to Falklands Legislative Assembly since these issues (air links and fisheries) are the responsibility of the Falkland Islands Government.

The Legislative Assembly replied to the FCO on June 6 and the following day, Colin Roberts head of the Overseas Territories directorate wrote to Ambassador Castro.

The Argentine government has acknowledged receipt of the letters but has not yet responded.

Follow the full text of the letters: June 6, addressed by the Falklands Legislative Assembly to the FCO setting out its willingness to hold preliminary talks with the Argentine government, and the June 7 written by Colin Roberts to Ambassador Castro saying the Falklands welcome any genuine initiative that helps to restore a spirit of cooperation with Argentina, given certain clarifications.

Letter from Falkland Islands Government to Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Foreign Office letter to Argentine Ambassador Alicia Castro

Argentine Bitch & Cheap Ugly Whore of South America attempts to bring politics to the 2012 Olympics

Ignore provocations in English soil, CFK tells Olympic delegation as she attempts to cheapen the Games with her normal verbal rubbish.

President Cristina Fernandez told the Argentine Olympics delegation there is no need to interfere with the sports spirit in London to show Malvinas belongs to Argentina and called on competitors not to fall prey of provocations while in English soil.

 “There is no need for actions contrary to the practice of sports to show Argentina’s rights over the Malvinas Islands”, said Cristina Fernandez during the ceremony at Government House where she fare-welled the delegation that will be competing in the London Olympic Games.

“Our (Falklands/Malvinas) rights we defend in the right forums. We are going to the Olympics to compete in sports, where we represent our flag and we don’t do any kind of silly things. You have to represent in English soil with great care and great pride, our homeland. And with more care than ever, if somebody tries to annoy you, just keep going and give the example”, said the Argentine president.

Last month the Falklands’ government and later the UK clashed with Argentina over an advert filmed in the Islands and featuring Argentina’s men's field hockey captain Fernando Zylberberg training for the London Games by running through Stanley with the back ground of local icons and ends with the phrase: “To compete on English soil, we train on Argentine soil”.

The Falklands government said it was profoundly disappointed with Argentina’s attitude and particularly shocked at the fact the Argentine athlete is filmed clambering in a national monument to the sailors killed in the First World War.

The controversy became world headlines, and the Argentine government had the ad on the air for some time even after the dispute. Finally the World Olympic Committee and the Argentine branch intervened and tempers calmed.

At the time President Cristina Fernandez described the ad as a tribute to Argentine creativity.

At the ceremony Cristina Fernandez presented the Argentine flag for the opening parade of the 2012 Olympic Games in London to Luciana Aymar, considered the best woman filed hockey player of the world.

“We are here to see our athletes off to the Olympics where they will be representing our country with the flag flying high”

The president said she knew of Aymar’s “great dream” of being the standard bearer for the Argentine delegation in London and “if there is somebody who deserves it, it is precisely Aymar, the best woman hockey player in the world, a matter of pride for all Argentines”.

Aymar was elected to carry the flag last June 13 during a vote at Argentina’s Olympic Committee in Buenos Aires.

The competitor who has been honoured seven times by the International Jockey Federation as the best player in her discipline received ten votes; tennis star Juan Martin del Potro, 5; Beijing Olympics’ cyclist Walter Perez, 3 and NBA basketball player Luis Scola, one.

Originally from the city of Rosario, Aymar is the sixth woman in Argentine Olympics history to be named standard bearer at the opening ceremony of the Games.

Others include Isabel Avellán, Melbourne'56; Cristina Hardekopf, Rome ‘60; Jeannette Campbell, Tokyo'64; Gabriela Sabatini, en Seoul '88 and Carolina Mariani, in Atlanta'96.

Argentina’s next actions may impact fisheries beyond Falklands

It is clear and nobody doubts that Argentina has taken a more robust and active attitude with respect to its sovereignty claims over the Falkland Islands and the adjacent South Atlantic zone, comprising Georgia and the Sandwich Islands, which continue under the FIFD's (Falkland Islands Fisheries Department) exclusive management.

Recently, an Argentine commercial featuring an athlete who trained on the Islands has drawn international media’s attention and besides generating some complaints from various sports organizations in the UK, in just a few days led to the broadcast of another commercial in response to the former. At a first glance it appears to be a typical dispute between rival football fans, however, it has a significant background and for the first time, an unresolved conflict that generated a war exactly 30 years ago, has been openly shown.

In recent months, Argentina has been gathering further support from neighbouring countries to take practical measures against maritime and logistic activities that affect the economy, tourism and oil exploration in the area of the Falklands. Obviously, there's a follow-up of companies, partners, shareholders, directors, investors, banks and institutions directly or indirectly involved in the activities that Argentina and its partners intend to undermine and destabilize to force the British government to sit down and talk as the various UN resolutions have called for.

The Falklands government with the support from the British Government, on the other hand, reported that a referendum will be called in the first half of 2013 for the inhabitants of the Islands to define their political status, which will certainly be to continue as part of the UK. And campaigns have been initiated in some journalistic media to gather support so that the British Parliament deals with some economic issues in response to measures taken by Argentina.

The fact is that so far the Argentine government has taken no action with respect to fisheries, but there are strong rumours in Buenos Aires on certain measures, the implementation of which are being studied. One of them might be granting fishing licenses in the conflict zone to fishing vessels from third countries. This measure will involve an “overlap” with what the FIFD has been doing and which represents the main source of income that the Government of the Falklands has received for 30 years.

But there are countries that support Argentina's position at the UN, as the case of Russia and China, and the possible entry of fishing vessels with those flags would mean a full turn to the situation the Islanders and their current partners have enjoyed. Needless to say that these countries are privileged members in the UN, and therefore, if they perform fishing activities in the area with Argentine permit, it would be very interesting to see what the reaction of the United Kingdom would be.

Sending Royal Navy vessels to the area to stop a helpless Russian or Chinese flagged fishing vessel would turn the UK into an “aggressor” and it would also force the British diplomacy not only to talk with Argentina but with other politically relevant countries. These alternatives would provide a major shift in the fishing and political situation beyond the Falklands, since resources and important areas are at stake.

Some striking and contradictory issues between politics and business are the ships belonging to countries that politically support Argentina's position but that purchase their fishing licenses from FIFD, as is the case of Spain, Chile and others.

This could eventually open the door for Argentina at some point to claim ship owners should pay a fee for the captured volumes in the latest years, since they have already paid in full to the FIFD and nothing has been paid to Argentina. Since we are talking about a very large amount of money, given permits, inspection services and transhipment fees that have been paid amount to 1,5 billion dollars from the 80's to date, any Argentine claim could cause serious economic and legal problems to important groups operating under the scheme of joint ventures, or simply buying permits in the area, like Grupo Pescanova (Belnova, Austral Fisheries and Pesca Chile), Grupo Nores (Nores Marine and Byron Fishing), Group Copemar , Varepi, Pesquera Guromar, Grupo Regal and others.

All in all, this is a very special international situation that may affect the economy of the Falklands and the future of some companies and species such as Illex squid, loligo fish and Patagonian toothfish (Chilean sea bass). This will surely produce political decisions of both parties that will affect fisheries throughout the region and the participation of groups like COLTO or CCAMLR, among others.

Newspaper : ‘Argentina to disrupt Olympics’

A British Sunday newspaper yesterday said “the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has received intelligence Argentina may try to exploit the event to attract global attention to its campaign for sovereignty over the (Malvinas) islands” at the Olympics to be held between July 27 and August 12 in London.

The article, written by Isabel Oakeshott and Declan McGarvey for The Sunday Times, explained that “the Olympic Games could be used as a platform for a black power-style protest over the Malvinas Islands, the government fears” and stated that “ministers are worried about a possible demonstration by Argentine athletes similar to the one staged at the 1968 Games in Mexico City by African-American athletes at the men’s 200m medal ceremony.”

Regarding the diplomatic relations between Argentina and the UK , which are already “strained” in the 30th anniversary of the Malvinas War, the article confirmed “any symbolic gesture by team members would be broadcast worldwide, fuelling tensions” between both countries.

“Militant left-wing groups in Argentina are also claiming that hooligans plan to travel to London to demonstrate at one of the Games venues with a national flag emblazoned with an image of the Falklands,” it pointed out.

The newspaper said a senior FCO source was concerned “Argentina will use the Olympics as an opportunity for protests about the Falklands” and have been looking into what they can do as Argentina “seems determined to push their case at every opportunity.” FCO source added: “The athletes won’t be able to wear Malvinas T-shirts, but we can’t stop everything, particularly what goes on outside the stadium.”

“The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has strict rules about insignia on athletes’ uniforms and has assured the FCO that Argentine athletes could not wear political symbols. Argentina’s national Olympic committee has insisted it does not see the Games as a “platform for politics” and assured the IOC its team would not cause trouble,” the article continued.

“However, a senior source with a militant left-wing group in Argentina claimed members of Hinchadas Unidas Argentinas (HUA), another group of militants at one time linked to the Kirchner government, plan to travel to London to stage a protest. The Argentine government has always denied it has any links with HUA,” pointed out the newspaper.

Argentina has continued to claim sovereignty over the Malvinas during President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner’s administration, going so far as to present the topic in every forum where the country participates.

Earlier this year, Argentina featured a TV advert which showed a hockey player training on the Malvinas with the slogan: “To play on English soil, we train on Argentine soil.”