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Press Release
Response to Argentinian Outrage
3 May 2005


A senior British MEP has written to the EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), Javier Solana, after Argentina's protest at the inclusion of the Falkland Islands as a “British Antarctic Territory” in the draft EU Constitution.

Mr Edward McMillan-Scott MEP (Yorks, Cons), Vice-President of the European Parliament and a former adviser to the Falkland Islands Government, said: "Argentina is a bit slow on the uptake as the EU governments agreed this Treaty on 18 June last year. Normally Argentina makes difficulties over the Falkland Islands when the government is in trouble at home. The fact is that Argentina did not exist at the time that Britain discovered and held the Falkland Islands."

Mr McMillan-Scott goes on to point out that the EU's commitment to democracy worldwide "should embrace the rights of the Falkland Islanders to decide their own form of government. Whenever this has been tested, the Islanders have been unequivocally in favour of remaining British".

Falklands Councillor Norma Edwards said that the Falkland Islands Government Legislative Council has discussed the protests and it “refutes absolutely what Argentina is saying.” She said: “…we are clear on where we stand and the British Government is clear on our status and I’m sure that the British Government will reply to this in that vein.”

A spokesperson for the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FOC) said: "The EU Constitution confirms the present position with regards to the status of the Overseas Territories."

ENDS

Contacts:

Abby Smith, Keene, Victory House, 99-101 Regent Street, London, W1B 4EZ
Tel: 020 7287 0652 Fax: 020 7494 0493
E-mail www.keenepa.co.uk

Falkland Islands Government Office, 14 Broadway, Westminster, London, SW1H 0BH
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7222 2542
E-mail admin@falklands.gov.fk



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