UK 'will find less support' in Malvinas dispute, says Felipe Solá at the UN
Argentina believes it can ‘move the needle' and help create global consensus about the future of the disputes Malvinas/Falklands islands in the South Atlantic, according to Felipe Solá, Argentina's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Worship.
Solá was in New York City on Wednesday for a meeting United Nations Special Committee on Decolonization (C-24), which unanimously voted to "reaffirm the necessity for bilateral dialogue" with the UK to find a peaceful solution for the lorunning territorial dispute.
Speaking to journalists after the session alongside Daniel Filmus - the head of the Malvinas, Antarctica and South Atlantic Secretariat - Solá said that Argentina's government is being "much more active and proactive in terms of trying to move the needle a little bit and the attitude of the UK to discuss sovereignty with us."
"Argentine policy on the Malvinas is a constitutional mandate under our constitution. It explicitly expresses an obligation to continue its claim to sovereignty," he said.
"We expect that this colonial situation will find less support in the world," Solá added. "I don't think any country can accept that someone steals part of your territory without taking action."
To date, however, Solá said that the UK has "not given any specific answer" with regards to sovereignty, although Argentina and UK officials had exchanged information on the identification and repatriation of soldiers who were killed or remain missing from the 1982 war.
"We still need to find some Argentine soldiers that have been buried in a common grave. That's extremely important, to give some closure to their families after their passing," he said. "We've identified 115 soldiers who were previously not identified. Aside from that, we've not yet had any reply."
On Tuesday, he held a meeting with UN General Assembly President Volkan Bozkir to express the Argentine government's support of a "good offices mission" with the aim of resuming sovereignty negotiations over the Falklands/Malvinas with the UK.
Speaking to the C-24 Committee earlier on Wednesday, Solá said that "there's no reasons for bilateral negotiations to not be resumed."
"The Argentine government maintains its determination to continue with negotiations," he added. "For almost four decades the UK has refused negotiations to find a peaceful settlement."
The C-24 meeting also saw testimonies delivered by the Mark Pollard, the Falklands Islands' Chair of the Legislative Assembly, as well as Deputy Chair Leona Roberts.
"Our neighbors [Argentina] aim not to empower our territory to reach a post-colonial status that is acceptable to us," Pollard told the committee. "It is instead to seek to deny us our basic human right of self-determination. We are happy with our current political status."
Solá, however, said that "the right of self-determination" is not applicable to the Malvinas/Falklands, as a result of the expulsion of Argentine settlers in the 19th century.
"The UK alleges that there is no sovereignty dispute unless the interests of the islanders are taken into account," he said. "This reasoning is not based on international law and is just an excuse to maintain the colonial situation in the South Atlantic."
"My country has consistently demonstrated its respect for the interests of the Malvinas islanders," he added.
Additionally, Solá accused the UK of a number of illegal activities, including the exploration and exploitation of energy resources and the granting of fishing licenses.
He added that the continued deployment of a British military garrison on the island is unnecessary.
"The presence of British military forces on the island is completely unjustified," he said. "[Argentina] has reiterated their willingness to resolve the dispute peacefully."