FALKLAND ISLANDS GOVERNMENT STATEMENT
Next of kin Visits to the Falkland Islands by Argentine families
1 May 2008
There has been some comment lately on the response of the Falkland Islands Government to the request from the Argentine Government to bring up to 800 people to the Islands by air for the inauguration of a memorial to the Argentine soldiers buried at Darwin cemetery.
Falkland Islanders have always welcomed and assisted visits from relatives of Argentine soldiers buried in the cemetery at Darwin. Both the British Prime Minister and the current Governor have paid tribute to this spirit of compassion.
Our attitude is no different to this request. But there is concern at the sheer logistical impossibility of coping with a visit of 800 people at one time - equivalent to a quarter of the size of the population. There are just not sufficient facilities either at the airport or in terms of ground transport and accommodation, particularly if prevailing weather conditions force an overnight stopover.
As an alternative we have offered to work with the Argentine Families Commission to facilitate a seaborne visit and we have already undertaken some of the logistical planning needed to support this ambitious project. Travelling by sea would enable passengers to enjoy some rest and comfort during what is always an emotional experience; it could accommodate any delays and it would also ease the logistical burden on the Falkland Islanders.
However, the Argentine Government, which is financing the visit, is demanding that travel should be by air because it is cheaper and refuses to even contemplate a seaborne visit. In so doing, it shows little awareness or understanding of the difficulties faced by the Falkland Islanders.
As usual Argentina is demanding everything and offering nothing. Since its government unilaterally banned charter flights to the Falklands some four years ago, the Argentine Families Commission has been inhibited in its planning of an alternative but inevitably smaller, visit by air. The Argentine Government has it in its gift to lift the unilateral ban on charter flights using its air space but seems unwilling to do so. It even recently refused permission for the blind Marathon runner, Dave Heeley's chartered aircraft to overfly Argentina in order to begin his 'Seven Magnificent Marathons' challenge for charity in the Falklands. He was eventually forced to land in Buenos Aires for "processing," delaying his arrival in the Islands by four hours; all to make a political point over its claim to the Islands which continues twenty five years after the war ended. Yet now Argentina is demanding special dispensation for charter flights carrying up to 800 people.
We believe that a successful visit by the Argentine Next of kin is in everyone's interests. But this grandiose and insensitive Argentine plan is a recipe for logistical - and consequently diplomatic - disaster. Nevertheless, the Falkland Islands Government will continue to assist the Families Commission to organise a visit by sea for humanitarian reasons.
