UN / FALKLANDS ISLANDS [MALVINAS]

The UN Decolonization Committee approved another resolution calling on Britain and Argentina to negotiate a solution to their dispute over the Falkland Islands. UNIFEED-UNTV

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:03:06
• Production Date: 26 June 2014
• Asset Language: Original
• Subject Topical: POLITICAL AFFAIRS; LAW; INTERNATIONAL LAW; POLITICAL CONDITIONS; DECOLONIZATION; TRUST TERRITORIES; APARTHEID
• Geographic Subject: ARGENTINA; UNITED KINGDOM
• MAMS Id: 1127334

Description

STORY: UN / FALKLANDS ISLANDS [MALVINAS]
TRT: 3.06
SOURCE: UNTV
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: SPANISH / ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 26 JUNE 2012, NEW YORK CITY

Shotlist

RECENT – NEW YORK CITY

1. Wide shot, exterior, United Nations Headquarters

26 JUNE 2012, NEW YORK CITY

2. Wide shot, conference room
3. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Héctor Marcos Timerman, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Argentina:
“Argentina –as the largest members of the United Nations- is firmly convinced that establishing an internationally order in which all nations -absolutely all nations- have the possibility to have their rights prevail requires that the resolutions adopted in this forum duty be implemented.”
4. Wide shot, dais
5. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Héctor Marcos Timerman, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Argentina:
“Mr. Chairman, I do regret the fact that the delegates of the United Kingdom and the Permanent Representative is not present because they could have a copy of this book, I could give it to them and this will cover all the resolutions that have been ratified and approved by a number of international organizations and in which the right to recognize the sovereignty of the Republic of Argentina over the Malvinas is recognized as well as over the South Georgia Islands, Sandwich Islands and the surrounding maritime areas.”
6. Wide shot, conference room
7. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Héctor Marcos Timerman, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Argentina:
“That empty chair –Mr. Chairman- indicates what the United Kingdom thinks about this Committee, that we do not deserve for him to be here. We are offended, we are being ignored. The issue that we are discussing is inconvenient for him. The are numerous resolutions, 46 resolutions adopted this Committee and the General Assembly.”
8. Wide shot, dais and conference
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Roger Edwards, Representative of the Legislative Assembly of the Falkland Islands [Malvinas]:
“This Committee has by its own admission failed in its duty and its mission for the past two decades. I encourage the Committee to examine what has caused that failure and remedy it. Above all, get out to the territories which are in your care. Talk to the people. See how they live. Test the extent of its self government and ask them what they want for themselves. That is the way to discharge your duty and to have real success going forward.”
10. Wide shot, dais
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Mike Summers, Representative of the Falkland Islands
[Malvinas]:
“Its people are an ethnically diverse group who choose to remain British. Their wish to retain their status-quo was ably demonstrated in March 2013 when the Falkland Islands government –not the British government- but the Falkland Islands Legislative Assembly organized an internationally observed referendum asking the question: Do you wish the Falkland Islands to retain their current political status as an Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom? The result was an overwhelming yes.”
12. Wide shot, zoom out dais

Storyline

Argentina's foreign minister Héctor Marcos Timerman said that his country is convinced that establishing international order requires that the resolutions adopted by the UN Special Committee on Decolonization be implemented.

The UN Decolonization Committee has approved today (26 June) another resolution calling on Britain and Argentina to negotiate a solution to their dispute over the Falkland Islands.

Speaking at that UN forum, Timerman fervently stressed “I do regret the fact that the delegates of the United Kingdom and the Permanent Representative is not present because they could have a copy of this book, I could give it to them and this will cover all the resolutions that have been ratified and approved by a number of international organizations and in which the right to recognize the sovereignty of the Republic of Argentina over the Malvinas is recognized as well as over the South Georgia Islands, Sandwich Islands and the surrounding maritime areas.”

He added “that empty chair –Mr. Chairman- indicates what the United Kingdom thinks about this Committee, that we do not deserve for him to be here. We are offended, we are being ignored. The issue that we are discussing is inconvenient for him. The are numerous resolutions, 46 resolutions adopted this Committee and the General Assembly.”

Roger Edwards, a member of the Falkland Islands Legislative Assembly, said “this Committee has by its own admission failed in its duty and its mission for the past two decades.”

He encouraged the Committee “to examine what has caused that failure and remedy it.”

Edwards stressed “above all, get out to the territories which are in your care. Talk to the people. See how they live. Test the extent of its self government and ask them what they want for themselves. That is the way to discharge your duty and to have real success going forward.”

Mike Summers, representative of the Falkland Islands pleaded with the commission to respect the outcome of a referendum last year, which showed that 99.8 percent of residents want the area to remain a British Overseas Territory.

He said “its people are an ethnically diverse group who choose to remain British. Their wish to retain their status-quo was ably demonstrated in March 2013 when the Falkland Islands government –not the British government- but the Falkland Islands Legislative Assembly organized an internationally observed referendum asking the question: Do you wish the Falkland Islands to retain their current political status as an Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom? The result was an overwhelming yes.”

Argentina has alleged that the special nature of the question of the Falkland (Malvinas) Islands derived from the fact that the United Kingdom had occupied the islands by force in 1833 and ousted the Argentine population and authorities there, replacing them with settlers of British origin.

The Falkland Islands (Malvinas) is one of 16 remaining Non-Self-Governing Territories, along with Gibraltar, New Caledonia, Western Sahara, American Samoa, Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Guam, Montserrat, Pitcairn, Saint Helena, Turks and Caicos Islands, United States Virgin Islands and Tokelau.