On
Malvinas
/ Falklands,
UNSC President
Tells ICP
"There's
Nothing Next"
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
February 10 --
After
Argentina's
foreign
minister
Hector
Timerman
delivered to
the UN
Security
Council a
complaint
against the
United Kingdom
about the
Malvina a/k/a
Falkland
Islands, he
told the
press that
this month's
Council
president,
Kodjo Menan of
Togo, would
pass the
complaint on
to UK
Permanent
Representative
Mark Lyall
Grant
and then
report back to
him.
This
did take
place, at
least the
first part.
When Lyall
Grant exited
the Council
chamber at 6
pm, he told
Inner City
Press that
Argentina's
filing
with the
Council was
"the same
slides" as
Timerman
should
during his
press
conference.
Minutes
later,
Togo's Kodjo
Menan came
out. Inner
City Press
asked, what's
next? He
said, "There's
nothing next.
I received
him, the main
concerned
member of the
Council, he
gave me his
position.
Inner
City Press
asked, "Were
you
convinced?"
Kodjo
Menan said,
"I don't want
to be
convinced.
He's just
given me the
position,
I took good
note of his
position."
Key,
of course, is
that the UK
has a veto in
the Security
Council. What
could happen,
really?
During
Timerman's
press
conference he
mentioned two
other UK
overseas
situation,
Diego
Garcia and
Hong Kong.
Inner City
Press asked
Lyall Grant
about these
two,
particularly
Diego Garcia
where the
Chagossians
won court
decisions for
a right to
return, only
to be blocked
by Tony Blair
who
cited "royal
prerogative."
Lyall
Grant said
"You
have to
distinguish
these
territories.
Every
situation is
different. In
Hong Kong for
instance there
was a treaty
with China.
It was on a
lease hold."
THere was not
direct answer
about Diego
Garcia.
None of
the Permanent
Five members
of the Council
is without a
skeleton in
its closet.
Diego Garcia
and the
Chagossians
seem to be one
for the
UK, and the
argument was
loudly made at
the UN on
Friday that
the
Malvinas
Islands are
another. But
at the end of
the day, the
Security
Council
president said
"there's
nothing next."
And so it
goes at the
UN.
(c) UN Photo
Timerman and
slides of
Malvinas,
Chagossians
and follow up
not shown
From
the UK
Mission's
transcript:
Inner
City
Press: Mr
Timerman
mentioned Hong
Kong and also
Diego Garcia
as
2 examples of
other places
where the
UK... How do
you
distinguish
that... It
seems like in
Diego Garcia,
with the
Chagossians
tried to
get a right to
return and the
UK opposed it.
So, in that
light, how
can we take
your statement
that UK always
respects the
desires of
people in
territories
like this, or
can you
distinguish
these
territories?
Lyall
Grant:
You have to
distinguish
these
territories.
Every
situation is
different. In
Hong Kong for
instance there
was a treaty
with China.
It was on a
lease hold,
etc. So the
whole thing is
different and
I
don't want to
draw
comparisons
between this.
The facts in
the
Falkland
Islands are
very clear. It
is a question,
in our view,
of
self
determination,
because there
is no issue of
sovereignty.
The
claim of
sovereignty is
an entirely
manufactured
claim that has
no
basis in law
and no basis
in history,
and therefore
it’s a
manufactured
claim. Why on
earth should
Argentina
suddenly
decide
that it has
sovereignty
over the
Falkland
Islands just
because they
happen to be
300 miles
away? On that
basis Canada
could claim
sovereignty
over Alaska.
It just
doesn't make
any sense.
There is no
historic,
there is no
judicial basis
for the claim
of
sovereignty.
Footnote:
Inner
City Press
also asked
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon's
spokesman
Martin
Nesirky:
Inner
City
Press: on
Argentina. The
Foreign
Minister, when
he came out of
the meeting,
said to the
media in
Spanish that
in the meeting
with
the
Secretary-General,
the
Secretary-General
had said that
since the
continent, the
Latin American
continent, is
so supportive
of the
Argentina’s
position that
should make it
easier to
resolve. And
that’s what he
told the media
when he came
out of the
meeting. And
I just wanted
to know, is
that something
that the
Secretary-General
said? Is that
his view?
Spokesperson:
We’ve...
Inner
City
Press: I see
your readout
--
Spokesperson:
Yeah, well,
the readout
has said very
clearly that
we are
concerned
about the
strong
exchanges
between the
Governments of
Argentina and
the United
Kingdom. And
it is his hope
that both
Governments
will
avoid an
escalation of
this dispute
and resolve
their
differences
peacefully and
through
dialogue.
That’s what I
have for you.
, 
