UK sees Security Council with “no appetite” to address Falklands issue

The United Kingdom said it did not see ‘any appetite’ from the UN Security Council members to address the Falklands/Malvinas issue, following the election of Argentina as one of the five new non permanent members to the council on Thursday.

“I think the Security Council has a large agenda of serious and pressing issues of international peace and security. We don’t see any appetite among other Council members to have that issue raised in the Council”, said Ambassador Philip Parham, Chargé D’Affaires of the UK mission to the UN.

Ambassador Parham made the statement following the UN General Assembly vote on the new five Council members: Argentina, Rwanda, Australia, Luxembourg and South Korea. Argentina was the country which had the greatest support, 182 votes out of the 193 UN members and ran unopposed in her group.

The arrival of Argentina to the UN council for two years beginning next January coincides with growing tension with the UK over the Falklands sovereignty dispute, and forecasted to worsen not only because of the 30th anniversary this year of the South Atlantic conflict but because of the dynamic development of the oil and gas industry in the Islands waters.

Earlier in the week Argentina formally presented a complaint before the Security Council relative to the alleged ‘militarization’ of the South Atlantic with regular exercises involving launching missiles from the Falklands. UK argues the exercises are routine since the end of the conflict in 1982 when Argentina invaded the Islands.

Nevertheless Ambassador Parham said the UK wants to work closely with Argentina on many issues of common interest.

“We look forward also to working closely with Argentina as we do in many other fora on issues, for example, non-proliferation and human rights”, said the UK diplomat welcoming Argentina to the Security Council.

Ambassador Parham also made a brief statement welcoming the newly elected non permanent members recalling Luxembourg will be joining the Council for the first time, “a founder member of the UN joins the Council for the first time and is member who makes a disproportionate contribution to the UN work”.

Australia has made historic contributions to international peace and security such as the Cambodia peace agreements and currently, to stabilisation in Afghanistan. Australia returns to the Council for the first time since 1986.

“Rwanda will bring to the Council the particular perspective of a country that has overcome serious conflict and has done so more successfully than many. We look forward to working with them on issues of international peace and security, including the efforts to try to end the cycle of violence in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo”.

And finally the Republic of Korea will join the Council “as a significant international actor, one that’s making major contributions to the work of the United Nations”.