End this imperial hangover

Since then, Argentina and Britain have been arguing about these islands that lie just off the Argentine coast and 14,000 kilometres away from London.

In 1965, through Resolution 2065 (XX), the United Nations defined Britain’s claim over the islands as a form of colonialism and recognised the existence of a sovereignty dispute between our two countries, urging the two governments to resolve it through talks.

The next year, after the adoption of that resolution, negotiations began between Argentina and the UK on the sovereignty of the Malvinas, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, which continued throughout the 1970s and into the early 1980s. During that period, various formulas for handover to Argentina were considered, some of them reflected in a memorandum of understanding.

The UN mandate, ratified by nine subsequent resolutions of the General Assembly and renewed every year since by the Special Committee on Decolonisation, remains in force and has not yet been implemented owing to the unilateral decision of the UK.

Both Argentina and Britain are democracies, the quality of which is nowadays measured by the capacity for dialogue and negotiation in resolving disputes. Today there is no room for rejecting dialogue. My country has committed itself to reach a peaceful resolution to the dispute that respects the way of life of the islanders; this commitment is enshrined in our constitution.

On top of this democratic duty, there is an obligation to contribute to one of the UN’s main objectives: ending colonialism. It is worth noting that out of 16 colonial sovereignty disputes that the UN is dealing with, ten involve Britain as the colonial power.

It is imperative for the UK to abandon actions such as incomprehensible military exercises and the exploitation of natural resources in violation of UN resolutions that worsen the situation in the Malvinas Islands.

This concern about the failure to resolve the question of the Malvinas Islands is shared by the vast majority of the international community. In particular, our two countries have been urged to resume negotiations by the main regional bodies Mercosur, the Union of South American Nations, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean Countries, as well as the Organisation of American States.

On the global stage, both Argentina and the UK advocate dialogue and respect for international law as the best solution to disputes around the world. So why isn’t this principle applied by Britain to the Malvinas Islands?

The challenges posed by the 21st century to the UK and Argentina require that both nations resolve this colonial conflict that dates back to the 19th century. Argentina is determined to resolve it through talks. Only the UK is missing at the negotiating table.

 

Hector Timerman is the Argentine minister of foreign relations.