Argentina protests British build-up in the Malvinas/Falkland islands.
| Autor | Gaudin, Andres |
After a year of complicated relations with Great Britain, a complaint was raised in the Argentine Congress on March 1 stating that Great Britain has been strengthening its military presence in the Malvinas/Falkland Islands (NotiSur, Jan. 13, 1987, Sept. 14, 1989, Dec. 14, 2007, and July 17, 2015). According to multiple UN resolutions, the Malvinas/ Falklands, a strategic enclave whose sovereignty is in dispute, should be free of any arms buildup.
According to the complaint, Britain had help from Brazil in this enterprise, which in effect breaks the historic alliance between Argentina and the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean regarding the dispute over the Malvinas/Falklands. Specifically, the complainants said that Britain's Royal Air Force (RAF) used three Brazilian airports between August and December 2016 to refuel at least six flights carrying additional soldiers and military reinforcements for Britain's network of bases on the islands. In all, there are seven British installations in the Malvinas/Falklands, with their headquarters at Mount Pleasant on Soledad, the largest island in the archipelago.
In the ensuing debate, legislators from all parties, as well as Argentina's top political analysts, commented on the fact that British Prime Minister Theresa May had not responded in kind to the many courtesies that had been extended to Great Britain by the administration of Mauricio Macri.
The complainants, Guillermo Carmona, president of the Foreign Relations Commission in the Chamber of Deputies, and Alicia Castro, who served as ambassador to Great Britain between 2012 and 2016, used a confidential document form the Argentine State Department dated Jan.19, 2017, to show that during the months in reference, RAF Airbus A330 and Hercules C-130 planes refueled at military airports in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, and Porto Alegre during stopovers on their way to the islands. According to the document, information about these flights did not reach the Buenos Aires government via its Brazilian counterparts. Instead, Foreign Minister Susana Malcorra learned about them through the National Air Traffic Control Department, a branch of the Argentine Ministry of Defense. The Argentine Foreign Ministry has refused to release the document, making it impossible to learn details about any diplomatic actions that might have followed.
Photographic evidence
In addition to the official foreign office cable regarding planes traversing Brazilian...
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