Britain said Thursday that it would not negotiate with Argentina
over the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands, known in Argentina as
the Malvinas.
"Our position is well-known: we will not negotiate... unless the
islanders want us to do so," the British Embassy in Buenos Aires
said in a statement.
"The Falklands are not our colony. The United Kingdom is only
responsible for defense and foreign policy. All other decisions are
taken and financed by the democratically-elected government of the
islands," the embassy said.
The statement was issued in response to Tuesday's statement by
Argentine Foreign Minister Jorge Taiana, who told the General
Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS) that Britain
was reluctant to start talks about the islands, which lie off the
coast of Argentina in southern Atlantic and were occupied by
British troops in 1833.
Chile, Paraguay, Nicaragua, Bolivia, Peru, Panama and Ecuador
then supported a Brazilian motion to the OAS, calling on Argentina
and Britain to restart negotiations.
"The United Kingdom thinks that the best way to go forward is to
make bilateral agreements that benefit all sides," the embassy
said. "We are still waiting for Argentine proposals about a series
of topics that could improve things."
Following the statement, the Argentine foreign minister said
"Britain has been deaf to repeated calls... to decolonize the
islands," and repeated a call for the OAS to "urge the UK to change
its response."
(Xinhua News Agency June 9, 2006)
