Falklands Wars – the History of the Falkland Islands: with particular regard to Spanish and Argentine pretensions and taking some account of South Georgia, the South Sandwich Islands and Britain's Antarctic Territories by Roger Lorton 1 Paper 14 2000 – 2015 Harassment & Referenda “measures deliberately taken to make life more difficult for Falkland Islanders”2 ◈ During the first half of the 20th century, Argentina had employed a series of petty actions against Great Britain in the South Atlantic – described by one British official at the time as 'pin-pricks'. If the objective had been to annoy the British into recognising Argentine rights those areas below 50° S latitude then the policy failed. If its aim had been to remind the UK on a regular basis that neither Argentina nor its claims had gone away, the policy may well be seen as having some limited success. With no obvious way forward after diplomatic relations were resumed in 1990, some Argentine Governments reverted to this policy of childish annoyance – aimed very specifically at the Falkland Islanders. This paper details the actions, in particular, of the Kirchner administrations and the noise those produced in forums around the world. 2000 – January 3rd, Argentina issues its annual statement; “On 3 January 1833, British forces occupied the Malvinas Islands,.. today marks the 167th anniversary of that illegitimate occupation,..” January 8th, the owners of a Falklands registered yacht, Golden Fleece, having docked at Ushuaia to pick up a film crew, are told not to return to any Argentine port as the Falklands registry is no longer recognised. 3 January 23rd, following a complaint, the Falkland Islands Government are informed that Falklands flagged vessels will be allowed to dock at Argentine ports. However they will be served with a notice disputing the Islands' sovereignty. An Argentine fishing vessel, Magallanes 1 is towed into Port William with rudder problems. On its arrival the Captain is asked, as a matter of courtesy, to fly the Falklands flag. He is informed that if he does not do so, repairs will not be carried out; “The result was a bitter protest by the Argentine government.” 4 February 23rd, private flights between Argentina and the Falklands are permitted under an Exchange of Letters. Such journey's however still require the authorisation of both the Argentine and Falklands governments. In March, Defence Secretary Geoffrey Hoon visits the Falkland Islands. 1 Falklands Wars – the History of the Falkland Islands: with particular regard to Spanish and Argentine pretensions and taking some account of South Georgia, the South Sandwich Islands and Britain's Antarctic Territories Roger Lorton LL.B(Hon), M.Phil. 2011 – 2019. Roger Lorton has asserted his rights under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work. 2 Falklands' London Representative, Sukey Cameron, June 17, 2004 3 The Falklands have operated a ship's Registry since 1861 as members of the Red Ensign Group. 4 Falkland Islands Newsletter April, 2000. There appears to be no general rule regarding courtesy flags. 1 March 14th, the Supreme Court in Buenos Aires, adjudicating a case seeking to indict Margaret Thatcher for war crimes over the sinking of the ARA Belgrano, rules that the act, if illegal, cannot be prosecuted in Argentina. In April, the Legislative Council of the FIG decide to establish a Select Committee to examine the Constitution. April 3rd, owners of a Taiwanese fishing jigger, detained after a 3 day chase by the protection vessel Dorada, are fined £175,000 for illegal fishing. Its Captain is fined a further £2,500 for failing to obey a stop order. Costs of £17,600 are awarded against the owners, while the catch and fishing gear are confiscated. May 30th, Argentina's Foreign Minister makes an announcement. “Our Government and our country are prepared to resume bilateral negotiations with London on the sovereignty dispute in the manner indicated in successive resolutions of the United Nations.” June, unable to take action in Argentina, a group of lawyers representing relatives of those who died aboard the ARA Belgrano in 1982, announce that they will launch a case at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). June 10th, Argentina issues its annual communique. 5 June 15th, the South Atlantic Fisheries Commission meets in London. July 4th, papers are filed at the European Court of Human Rights; “... on behalf of relatives of Argentine sailors killed when the General Belgrano was sunk by a British submarine.” “Jorge Appiani and Jorge Antonio Oliveira filed a claim for damages for breach of the right to life, guaranteed by article 2 of the European convention on human rights. The submission stated that the relatives, a mother and a father of two of the 323 sailors who died claimed compensation from "the British government, in the person of former prime minister Margaret Thatcher and her war cabinet, for violating the right to life by ordering the Argentine battle cruiser Belgrano sunk on May 2, 1982." The lawyers' arrival from Buenos Aires to file the court papers, which are usually sent by post, suggested that they hoped to secure publicity for the move. They acknowledged to reporters that they wanted to put pressure on the Argentine government to take Britain to the international court of justice in the Hague. Lawyers in Britain rate the Strasbourg claim as having limited prospects of getting a hearing. The rules say that claimants must first exhaust all remedies in the domestic courts, and then bring a claim within six months.” 6 July 11th, the Special Committee on Decolonization consider the question of Falklands' decolonization at its meeting in New York. 7 Representing the Falkland Islands people are Sharon Halford and Richard Cockwell; Argentine petitioners are Guillermo Clifton, Alejandro Betts and Alejandro Vernet. At the start of the hearing Argentine Foreign Minister, Adalberto Giavarini, refuses to shake hands with the Falklands representatives. Ex- Foreign Minister, Guido di Tella, tells reporters; “People will be laughing at us.” As in previous years, the committee adopt a draft-resolution by consensus (no vote), that; “Reiterates that the way to put an end to the special and particular colonial situation in the question of the Falkland Islands (Malvinas) is the peaceful and negotiated settlement of the dispute over sovereignty between the Governments of Argentina and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland...” 8 5 In 2000, June 10 stopped being a public holiday which reverted to April 2. See footnote to November 30, 1973. 6 The Guardian July 5, 2000. In August 2000, in Rome, one of the Belgrano case lawyers, Jorge Oliveira, was arrested under a French warrant concerning the kidnapping and murder of Marie Anne Erize Tisseau, a French citizen, in 1976. Following his presentation of false documents to an Italian court Oliveira was released and fled back to Argentina before the fraud was identified. 7 UN Document A/55/23. Also working paper A/Ac.109/2000/11 8 UN Document A/Ac.109/2000/23. Sponsored by Chile, Bolivia, Cuba and Venezuela. 2 “In statements after the adoption of the resolution, the representative of Grenada urged the parties to press on for the eventual successful resolution of the dispute. The right of self-determination was reserved for the inhabitants of the Territory, who were the only and final arbiters of their future destiny. The representative of Antigua and Barbuda stated that the current discussion had dealt with sovereignty and not decolonization, which was the real subject matter of the Committee. The job of the Committee was not to determine who should govern a Territory, but to ensure that the options chosen by the inhabitants were followed. … The representative of Sierra Leone stated that it was important for the resolution to express interest in the self-determination of the population of the Islands and added that there was no substitute for self-determination in matters of decolonization.” 9 July 12th, Minister John Battle speaks to the Falkland Islands Forum in London “Self-determination was one of the best and most popular ideas of the twentieth century. With the entry into force in 1976 of the International Human Rights Covenants, self-determination gained the force of international law as a fundamental, collective human right.” Five Argentine fishing vessels enter the Falklands zone for a few hours before withdrawing in a publicity stunt widely reported in the Argentine press. RAF Tornadoes over-fly the vessels when they are some 15 miles inside the zone. Argentina protests a “violation” of its airspace. A counter-protest, in very polite terms, is sent to Buenos Aires by Falkland Islands Councillors. Argentine newspapers report that their Government is particularly “irritated” as the response to their protest came from the Islands, not London. July 19th, in Strasbourg, the European Court of Human Rights refuses to accept the Belgrano case. “A panel of three judges in Strasbourg yesterday ruled that the case was inadmissible because there had been no attempt to exhaust all legal remedies in Britain before appealing to the court.” 10 “Shadow Defence Secretary Iain Duncan Smith said that "common sense" had prevailed, but added that the case should never have reached court.” 11 July 27th, at a meeting of the Southwest Atlantic Hydrocarbon Commission, the two sides acknowledge; “... that there were differing interpretations of the area to which the understanding applied, and agreed that it would be appropriate to reflect on the issue and on the best way to conduct future cooperation.” 12 October 5th, Argentina complains that Britain is acting unilaterally by issuing oil exploration licences. September 7th, Argentina's President, Fernando de la Rua, speaks to the General Assembly of the UN at its opening session; repeating Argentina's claim to the Falklands archipelago.