Departamento De Malvinas, Antártida E Islas Del Atlántico Sur

Instituto de Relaciones Internacionales (IRI) - Anuario 2011 Departamento de Malvinas, Antártida e Islas del Atlántico Sur Considerando que este pequeño aporte puede ser de gran ayuda para todos aquellos que tengan interés en este sector geográfico, que por otra parte integra el problema de soberanía que mantenemos con el Reino Unido, y por ende de nuestros intereses en la Antártida, retomamos – como lo habíamos hecho con anterioridad – con la transcripción textual de las noticias aparecidas en el periódico MercoPress - South Atlantic News Agency (http://mercopress.com/), abarcando todos los temas que - a criterio de la suscripta – puedan tener relación tanto con el tema antártico como con las Islas Malvinas María Elena Baquedano Departamento de Malvinas, Antártida e Islas del Atlántico Sur MERCOPRESS. Monday, January 4th 2010 - 07:56 UTC Argentina recalls events of 1833 and reiterates Malvinas claim On the 177th anniversary of the “illegitimate occupation” by the United Kingdom of the Malvinas Islands, Argentina “repudiates” events of 3 January 1833 and calls on the UK to comply with the mandate of the international community and find a peaceful solution to the conflict. Liberation monument dedicated to the British troops that recovered the Falklands in June 1982 Liberation monument dedicated to the British troops that recovered the Falklands in June 1982 1 Instituto de Relaciones Internacionales (IRI) - Anuario 2011 An official communiqué from the Foreign Affairs Ministry released Sunday in Buenos Aires states that Argentina considers “incomprehensible the British negative to address the heart of the matter and to find a peaceful and definitive solution to the sovereignty controversy”, according to the international community mandate. The communiqué reiterates once again the “permanent and sincere” willingness of Argentina to resume negotiations to find “a definitive solution to the dispute” and once for all put an end to the “anachronic colonial situation incompatible with the evolution of the modern world”. The Argentine government also insists on its disappointment because the UK persists “in the reiteration of unilateral actions” in the Malvinas islands. According to the Argentine version of January 1833 events “British troops in an act of force invaded” the Malvinas Islands, “an action which Argentina protested immediately and was never consented”, underlines the communiqué, similar to those it systematically releases every January 3. In April 1982 the Argentine military dictatorship invaded the Falklands/Malvinas but 74 days later were repelled by a British Task Force sent by then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher to recover the Falklands. The British position has been that the Islanders have the right to self determination and as long as they wish to remain British, they will remain British, discarding all sovereignty talks. Tuesday, January 5th 2010 - 12:24 UTC Argentine General: demining a humanitarian and ethical imperative ”Argentina is free of all type of mines, with the exception of those planted in the Malvinas Islands which motivated Argentina to request and obtain a ten year de-mining extension, because Argentina currently does not have access to the Islands illegitimately occupied by the United Kingdom”. 2 Instituto de Relaciones Internacionales (IRI) - Anuario 2011 Martin Balza, former head of the Argentine Army and a Malvinas veteran Martin Balza, former head of the Argentine Army and a Malvinas veteran The statement belongs to Argentine ambassador in Colombia, former commander of the Argentine Army and Falklands/Malvinas veteran General Martin Balza who last month participated in the 2nd Review Conference of the Ottawa Convention held at Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, and wrote a column under the heading of “Antipersonnel mines and ethical duty” for a Buenos Aires daily. Besides this short lopsided initial presentation of the issue, General Balza mentions some terrifying statistics about anti-personnel mines which annually victimize 25.000 people through death, mutilation or terrible laceration, mostly civilians and which can remain buried active for over half a century. The meeting was held in Colombia, South America because it has displaced Cambodia as the country which suffers most victims from this cruel weapon “created more than to kill, to mutilate and seriously injure because of its direct demoralizing impact on other combatants and later for any government is far costlier in economic and social terms than a dead solider”. “Mine sweeping, clearing the fields of mines is a humanitarian and ethical imperative for governments” states Balza but unfortunately “several countries and illegal organizations do not see it this way” and this is particularly cruel because in the majority of cases mine planting is not done with the necessary registries and demarcation plans. “Planting a mine can cost 2 US dollars but de-activating it soars to 800 US dollars”. Balza points out that many of the mine manufacturing companies are the same that obtain very profitable contracts for de-mining, and mentions among the main world producers three members from the UN Security Council: United States, China and Russia. 3 Instituto de Relaciones Internacionales (IRI) - Anuario 2011 The conference with the participation of 154 countries was held ten years after the Ottawa Treaty to ban antipersonnel mines became effective in 1999 and Colombia was chosen because of the dramatic situation it is suffering. In 31 of the 32 Colombian provinces there are extensive mined fields, with no demarcations, signalling, maps, records or blueprints of their existence, planted by an on- going insurgence movement. It is estimated it will take decades to clear antipersonnel mines in Colombia since the “criminal process” continues. Between 1990 and October 2009, 8.100 Colombians have been victims of antipersonnel mines, over 400 annually. In 2009 the number was 550, of which 450 with ghastly injuries and 100 killed, with a considerable number of them less suspecting and most curious children and innocent civilians. General Balza, who forgets to mention in his column that the thousands of antipersonnel mines still in the Falklands were planted by the retreating Argentine forces in 1982 underlines that “the suffering and valour of the victims and survivors of antipersonnel mines’ explosions must be a boost for those responsible under International Humanitarian Law, particularly taking into consideration that most victims belong to the weakest and most vulnerable”. Tuesday, January 5th 2010 - 12:56 UTC PM Brown admits he is the underdog in the forthcoming general election UK Gordon Brown has admitted he is the underdog in the forthcoming general election battle - but insisted he is ready to “fight” for Britain. The Prime Minister said voters faced a “big choice” between the Tories promise of “austerity” and Labour's plans to encourage “aspiration”. Brown: everything I have ever won in my life I have had to fight for... Brown: everything I have ever won in my life I have had to fight for... 4 Instituto de Relaciones Internacionales (IRI) - Anuario 2011 He also rejected claims that he was engaging in class warfare against David Cameron, and dismissed suggestions of splits in Labour's top team. The comments, in an interview for BBC1's Andrew Marr Show, effectively fired the starting gun on an election campaign that could last five months. Asked whether he regarded himself as the underdog in the contest, Mr Brown replied: “I think when you are behind in the polls you have got to regard yourself as the fighter. Everything I have ever won in my life I have had to fight for... ”People will see they have a choice to make and the choice is between someone who is ready to fight for every aspect of Britain's future, and will not stop fighting.“ Mr Brown seemed to let slip that the crunch ballot would not take place in the first few months of this year, saying he ”believed“ there would be a Budget in the spring. And he turned his fire on the Tories, insisting Mr Cameron had hoped to win without his own policies being scrutinised. ”I think the Conservatives wanted an election that was essentially a referendum,“ he said. The PM sought to make light of his barb in the Commons that Mr Cameron had dreamed up his inheritance tax policy ”on the playing fields of Eton“. ”It was a Commons joke. Quite an effective one, I hope,“ Mr Brown said. ”I don't attack him for being a toff. I attack him for having the wrong views”. Wednesday, January 6th 2010 - 08:55 UTC Busted with salmon farming, Chilean community tries marine tourism Quellón, a small Chiloé Island community in the south of Chile that once was entirely dedicated to the salmon industry, is hoping growing interest in marine tourism will bring 5 Instituto de Relaciones Internacionales (IRI) - Anuario 2011 the local economy back to life. The bottom fell out of Quellón’s economy last year when the salmon industry went under, leaving half the community out of work. Whale sighting among the options considered by a town of 25.000 that lost 10.000 jobs in two years The community — the last stop on the PanAmerican highway, on the southeast edge of Chiloe Island (Region X) — is a prime location for tourism. The surrounding waterways flow out into the Pacific, home to a large population of marine life, including giant blue whales. Hotels and tour companies are already starting to pop up in the area and the local government says a development plan to promote entrepreneurship and tourism is in the works. Until recently, Chile was the world’s second largest exporter of cultivated salmon, but the industry has been deeply impacted by an outbreak of the Infectious Salmon Anemia (ISA) disease in 2007. That, combined with the effect of Marea Roja (or Red Tide, a harmful excess of algae) and the recent global economic crisis, has hit Quellón and surrounding communities even harder than those on the mainland.

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