Argentina must respect the rights of Falkland Islanders

Once again we find ourselves expressing disappointment at the actions of the Argentinian government. Sadly this is an increasingly common occurrence. Cristina Kirchner's administration continues its policy of bullying and intimidation against us, while denying our right to live in the islands that have been our home for nearly 200 years. This policy was in evidence again today, with Argentinian foreign minister Héctor Timerman suggesting in an interview with the Guardian that the islands will be under Argentinian control within 20 years. Statements like that fly in the face of our often-expressed desire for normal neighbourly relations. Co-operation in areas of mutual benefit is once again ignored.

It is ironic that the Argentinian government maintains that all it wants is dialogue over the Falkland Islands, yet when offered such opportunities for dialogue, with the people whose voice matters most, it refuses to engage. We deeply regret that Héctor Timerman has declined the opportunity to meet William Hague and our own democratically elected officials this week. This is not the first time our attempts at direct communication with the Argentinian government have been ignored. Last year at the United Nations in New York, President Fernández de Kirchner was offered a letter asking her to meet with us to hear our views, and to discuss matters of common interest. Regrettably, she refused to accept it. The letter was subsequently delivered to the Argentinian government, but we have never received a response.

The right of all people to decide how they wish to be governed is a fundamental right, and one that is enshrined in the charter of the United Nations. There can be few reasonable people who deny this. The Argentinian government attempts to confuse the issue by raising complicated arguments over territorial integrity, or questioning whether this right should apply to an allegedly implanted population. On the former, I would point out that Argentina claims that the Falkland Islands form part of the province of Tierra del Fuego – an area that did not become part of the Republic of Argentina until after two generations of Falkland Islanders had been born and raised there. On the latter, far from being an implanted population, our community has been formed through voluntary immigration and settlement over the course of nearly 200 years and nine generations – like much of the new world, including the Americas. We are a diverse society, with people from around the world having made the islands their home. The recent census showed more than 60 nations represented here.

There is no doubt that Argentinian officials are running scared of meeting Falkland Islanders because they would be unable to deny we exist if we were sat across the table from them. I imagine it would be very difficult to look a fellow human being in the eye and tell them they have no right to live in their home, and to raise their children in a land where up to nine generations of their ancestors have lived, loved and died.

Well, I am afraid neither Argentina, nor the rest of the world will be able to ignore us come 11 March, when as a people we will stand together and announce loudly and unequivocally how we wish to live our lives. I have no doubt as to how the majority will vote, and independent observers from around the world will be there to witness and provide assurance that the referendum has been held fairly and transparently, and that our views are freely expressed. Sadly, the Argentinian government has already dismissed the outcome of this referendum before it has even been held, and is seeking means to ensure that the process cannot be independently verified; indeed the Administration has stated publicly that the Argentinian foreign minister is actively lobbying countries not to send observers to witness our referendum. Despite Timerman and his colleagues' best efforts, the world will get to hear our voice and hear our wishes.

We were looking forward to a full and frank exchange of views with Timerman this week, and would have taken the opportunity to deliver some very direct messages on the unacceptability of Argentina's actions against the Falkland Islands in recent years. As Falkland Islanders, all we are asking is that our rights be respected and that we be left in peace to choose our own future and to develop our country for our children and generations to come. It appears that the government of Argentina is afraid to hear this from the Falkland Islanders themselves.

The Falkland Islands motto is "desire the right". We have both the desire and the right to choose our own future, and to have this right respected. We can only hope that Argentina remembers it is a mature democracy, and that it would be to the benefit of all if it once again started to behave like one.

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