About the South Atlantic Council

In December 1983, two British MPs and two academics invited a wide-ranging group of people with special interest in, or expertise on, Argentine-British relations and the Falklands/Malvinas dispute to form a South Atlantic Council. The aim was to improve communications and mutual understanding between Argentina, Britain and the Islands, with the long-term goal of resolving the sovereignty dispute, in a manner that is acceptable to all three parties. The founders were George Foulkes MP (Labour), Cyril Townsend MP (Conservative), Dr Christopher Mitchell (City University) and Dr Walter Little (University of Liverpool). The current chairman is Martin O'Neill (Lord O'Neill of Clackmannan) and the Honorary Secretary is Robin Wallis.

    The decision was taken to have a maximum of fifty members, all of whom would be British citizens. Thus, the SAC is not a public campaigning organisation, but a discrete lobby, seeking to influence policy-makers and opinion leaders. The membership has consisted of politicians, academics, business people, journalists, lawyers, retired diplomats and church leaders. The politicians have been from the three main parties and from both houses of Parliament. At times, two or three Argentines working in London have also been Associate Members. The Council has been funded by the members and by grants for specific activities. Three Quaker trusts made it possible, in 1984-87, to appoint one full-time researcher and co-ordinator, Dr Alaine Low. The annual budget – provided by members' subscriptions – was small and continues to be so. Companies sometimes meet travel, accommodation or other expenses for specific events, notably establishing the first political contacts between Britain and Argentina after the 1982 war.

    The SAC has published a series of Occasional Papers to generate discussion about ideas that move beyond the zero-sum debate about sovereignty and promote the possibility of co-operation on a variety of issues. Both at the Council's own meetings and at other events, such as the Argentine-British Conferences, members have facilitated discussion among politicians and officials from Argentina, Britain and the Islands. In this work, the SAC has continually faced the danger of being seen by British officials and the Falkland Islands Association as pro-Argentine and by Argentine officials as speaking for the British government. The Council is independent and does not collectively take a position on what settlement to the dispute should be adopted, except that it should be acceptable to the three parties.

    The SAC made a significant contribution to the resumption of diplomatic relations between Britain and Argentina in 1990 and the subsequent co-operation on fishing in the South Atlantic. Much effort was devoted to helping those in Argentina who had lost sons, brothers or husbands in the 1982 war to come to terms with their grief by being able to visit the war graves on the Islands. Several officially organised visits of the bereaved to the Islands have occurred. In recent years, the progress has been reversed and it has been more difficult to achieve effective communication.

    For more details on the early years, see www.staff.city.ac.uk/p.willetts/SAC/ABOUT.HTM. (This web address is case senstive.)

    Professor Peter Willetts

 
About Us – The Early Years       Click Here

 
Available Documents

• Occasional Papers     click here
   
• Position Statement, February 2001       web page     Word 6 document
   
• Briefing Paper
  Presented to Robin Cook (UK Foreign Secretary), Tony Lloyd (UK FCO Minister) and Guido di Tello (Argentine Foreign Minister), June 1997, covering "The Options for the Future", "The Falkland Islands and Oil" and "Fishing in the South-West Atlantic"       web page     Word 6 document