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South Atlantic Council

Promoting communication and understanding
between Argentina,  Britain and the Islanders

  

 

 

 

 

 SAC Home  “Alternative Vision” in English  “Alternative Vision” in Spanish  Second Statement in Spanish  Second Statement in English

 

 

Malvinas: Una Visión Alternativa

Various Argentines have gradually realised they share a common dissatisfaction with the standard attitudes in Argentina about the Falklands-Malvinas dispute between the governments of the United Kingdom and Argentina. In particular, journalists and others who visited the Islands were surprised to discover that the Islanders are socially, culturally and politically British; have been minimally influenced by Latin America and do not share any Argentine identity. In response to the escalating political rhetoric, since President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner started her campaign for diplomatic support for Argentine sovereignty over the Islands, this group decided to open a public debate on the question.

A statement challenging the sovereignty claim and asserting the rights of the Islanders was published in the Argentine daily newspaper, La Nación, on 22 February 2012. It was initially signed by a group of seventeen intellectuals, including writers, historians, journalists, lawyers and a former congressional Deputy. Their names are given at the end of the statement.

  • For the statement, “Malvinas: Una Visión Alternativa”, in Spanish,     click here.
  • For an English translation of this statement, by Dr Celia Szusterman and Robin Wallis, “Malvinas: An Alternative Vision”,     click here.

The first statement was originally made available as a web page, via a link from the Twitter page of the former congressman, Fernando Iglesias, which transfers to http://malvin-and-hobbes.tumblr.com/post/17800643844/una-vision-alternativa. Other people were invited to add their names to the statement and within a few days thousands have done so. This page was used as the source for the pages on the SAC's website.

A treinta años de la guerra de Malvinas

A second statement objecting to the celebration of the thirtieth anniversary of the occupation of the Islands by the Argentine military dictatorship on 2 April 1982 was published in La Nación, just before President Cristina Kirchner made a speech in Ushuaia saying that it was “absurd” that Britain maintains sovereignty over islands that are 14,000 km away. The text of the statement was taken from La Nación’s website. This was published by a larger group of 47 people, whose names are also given at the end of the statement.

  • For the second statement, “A treinta años de la guerra de Malvinas”, in Spanish,     click here.
  • For an English translation of the second statement, by Alan Tabbush, “Thirty Years after the Falklands War”,     click here.
 

 

 

 

 

 

Copyright: South Atlantic Council, 2012.

Any text on this website may be freely used provided that (a) it is for non-commercial purposes, (b) quotations are accurate and (c) the South Atlantic Council and the website address - www.staff.city.ac.uk/p.willetts/SAC/INDEX.HTM - are cited.

Page maintained by Peter Willetts   [P dot Willetts at city dot ac dot uk]
Emeritus Professor of Global Politics, City University, London
The SAC logo was designed by Brian Hargrove of BH Designs.

Page published on 6 March 2012 and updated on 6 and 10 April 2012.