Malvinas islands' Executive Council approves March 2013 referendum

[struggle4progress]

Source: Buenos Aires Herald

Saturday, September 1, 2012

The Malvinas Islands Executive council officially approved a referendum that will be held in March 2013 in which islanders will vote on their political status, as Argentina continues to claim sovereignty of the South Atlantic archipelago, 30 years after the war.

The islands’ Executive Council announced that the British Electoral Commission has agreed to assist with developing the form of the question and the wording and will provide guidance. “The vote was planned for March 2013 and the exact date will be decided by CEO Keith Padgett in consultation with the Legislative Assembly,” a press release stated.

The referendum was announced in June, and at the time, chairman of the Legislative Assembly Gavin Short said they hoped to send a firm message to President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner ...

Read more: http://www.buenosairesherald.com/article/110371/malvinas-islands-executive-council-approves-march-2013-referendum

---

Falklands Exco Meeting 29 August 2012
http://www.falklandnews.com/public/story.cfm?get=6348&source=3

Barrick Wades into Falkland Dispute with Ottawa Lobbying
August 29, 2012, 5:14 PM ET
By Alistair MacDonald

Gold miner Barrick Gold Corp ABX.T +3.26%. has lobbied Ottawa over its support for the Falklands Islands, wading into a centuries’ old controversy and highlighting the increased complexities of doing business in Argentina, the country that claims the south Atlantic Islands ...

http://blogs.wsj.com/canadarealtime/2012/08/29/barrick-wades-into-falkland-dispute-with-ottawa-lobbying/

British Oil Company Finds Oil in Falkland Islands
London, Aug 23 (Prensa Latina)

British Borders & Southern Oil Company reported today positive results in the last trials carried out in coastal oil deposits in the Falkland Islands, also called Malvinas ...

http://www.plenglish.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=538095&Itemid=1


HMS Dauntless arrives in the Falkland Islands
Published on Friday 17 August 2012 07:35

THE Royal Navy’s state-of-the-art warship HMS Dauntless has arrived in the Falkland Islands.

And The News can reveal the new £1bn destroyer has made a reassuring – if unintentional – first impression on locals.

‘She’s so powerful that her radars have been interfering with people’s TV and radio reception,’ said islander Lisa Watson ...

http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/news/local/hms-dauntless-arrives-in-the-falkland-islands-1-4173199


Uruguay admits 'Falklands mistake,' opens investigation
Thursday, August 16, 2012

The government of neighbouring country Uruguay admitted today "a mistake" has been made when an official document was issued calling the Malvinas Islands, a disputed territory, "Falklands."

The small diplomatic slip-up in the Uruguayan government has ignited the Malvinas Islands controversy once again. The statement is featured in a decree signed by President José “Pepe” Mujíca on June 25th ...

http://www.buenosairesherald.com/article/109092/uruguay-admits-falklands-mistake-opens-investigation


Buenos Aires province devises its own Falklands ship ban
Wednesday, 8th August 2012

Lawmakers in Buenos Aires province passed a bill last week to prohibit ships involved in business activities off the disputed Falkland Islands from mooring at its ports, part of Argentina’s drive to discourage oil exploration in the area.

Argentina had already banned ships flying the Falklands flag from stopping at the country’s ports. The regional Mercosur trade group backed the move ...

http://www.chronicle.gi/headlines_details.php?id=25655


Argentina still angry with British
Big News Network.com
Sunday 5th August, 2012

... The banning of British flagged vessels means that oil tankers, drilling vessels and ships that exploit natural resources around the Falklands will have to refuel elsewhere ...

http://www.bignewsnetwork.com/index.php?sid/208037718/scat/3a8a80d6f705f8cc/ht/Argentina-still-angry-with-British


Argentina, Venezuela to explore Falklands oil
Published: 6/08/2012 at 08:48 AM

Venezuelan state oil giant PDVSA is in talks with Argentine counterpart YPF to conduct oil and gas exploration around the Falkland Islands, the company's president was quoted as saying ...

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/world/306204/argentina-venezuela-to-explore-falklands-oil


Falklands vessels can re-flag and operate in Mercosur ports, says Hague
Friday, January 20th 2012 - 08:19 UTC

Ships from the Falkland Islands that are barred from ports in Argentina and other Mercosur trade bloc countries can re-flag as British ships at any time to avoid the ban, British Foreign Secretary William Hague told reporters in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday.

Mercosur member and associate countries do not recognize the Falklands flag.

There is no legal barrier to ships registered in Stanley, Falkland Islands, from sailing under the British flag rather than the flag of the Falklands, a largely self-governing British Overseas Territory in the South Atlantic, Hague said ...

http://en.mercopress.com/2012/01/20/falklands-vessels-can-re-flag-and-operate-in-mercosur-ports-says-hague

[loli phabay]

1. no doubt on the result of the vote, wonder if it will finally get argentina to back off.

I doubt it.

[bemildred]

2. Turn it into a world heritgage site run by the UN.

Give it back to the penguins. Don't let one more person die for this political crap.

[Igel]

3. Lots of ways of not having people die for this.

We could engage in non-violent forced relocation at gunpoint, to be sure. Set up a new HRWA for the Falklands refugees, give them and their descendants special refugee status until they return to their lands.

We could also stop the denial of self-determination pushed by, among others, the honorable gentleman from the Spanish Province of Caracas and the governor of Rio de la Plata. (Since we insist on using rather old words for places.)

Let's see--we can force people to relocate, and call that peaceful; or leave people alone, and call it crap.

If the UN takes it over, would the neo-imperialists get the oil and gas, or would the descendants of the Falklands refugees? If the neo-imperialists, would that be the Rio de la Plata or the UN?

[bemildred]

4. Oh we are going to have more wars oveer it, no question. nt

[Codeine]

5. If people would simply leave well enough alone

nobody would ever need to die for the Falklands. Argentina can't seem to manage that, however.

[bemildred]

6. I hear ya.

Nobody ever wants to compromise, it's my way or the highway. I don't see any good solution. I can see both sides of the argument, and also the argument that we ought to give it back to the penguins (they were there first) and make it a preserve.

But also, as you point out, why fuck with it? Is it worth it? Is whatever new situation you eventually bring about going to be worth the trouble in any pragmatic sense? I doubt it.

[EX500rider]

8. "I can see both sides of the argument"

What is the Argentinian side?

That they had a failed settlement there from 1828 till 1833 (179 years ago) and has been under the British flag ever since?

And has all english speaking inhabitants of British descent who desire to be part of the UK?

[AlphaCentauri]

9. The 1823 Monroe Doctrine

The Monroe Doctrine is a policy of the United States introduced on December 2, 1823. It stated that further efforts by European nations to colonize land or interfere with states in North or South America would be viewed as acts of aggression requiring U.S. intervention.

I guess the Argentinian settlement was cover by the Monroe Doctrine.

[EX500rider]

10. Except the British claims go back..

....to their original settlement in 1766, predating the Monroe Doctrine by almost 60 years.

[BritBob]

7. The Falklands and Argentina

The 3,000 Falkland Islanders have the right to self determination under the UN charter.

Argentine politicians will use the 'Great Malvinas Lie' over the comming months as their economy takes a downturn and the Peso will probably be devalued. Much of Argentina's current economic problems are due to economic mismanagement. The country has more trade disputes running than any other country in the World and is the World's top protectionist country. Argentina is also regarded as a pariah state by international money lenders. All of this will take its toll on the Argentine economy.

The Argentine claims to the Falklands go back to 1833 after the Royal Navy removed a small Argentine garrison from the Falklands; Britain having already claimed the Falklands. In 1850 Argentina and Britain signed a treaty called the 'Convention of Settlement'. In the treaty both countries acknowledged that 'a state of perfect harmony had been restored.' and 'that neither country had any outstanding differences.' Later Argentine politicians acknowledged that this was the end to their claims to the Falklands and the Argentine governments in the 1870s and 1880s even produced maps that either omitted the Falklands from its territory or showed the Falklands in a different colour, like the '1882 Latzina Map' - successfully used by Chile in their 1970s Beagle Island Dispute with Argentina. The current claims to the Falklands made by Argentine politcians were started as late as the 1940s by the Peron government.

The Argentine claim to the Falklands is no stronger than Canada claiming Alaska because it's closer. Nevertheless, Argentine politicians will use the 'Great Malvinas Lie' to stir up nationalist feelings and to try and halt flagging ratings in the opinion polls.