From: newbery@zonda.atd.ucar.edu (Santiago Newbery)
Subject: Re: Re-Salas
Organization: National Center for Atmospheric Research
Date: Tue, 17 Nov 1992 04:03:47 GMT

In article <41092@sdcc12.ucsd.edu>, robarr@sdcc3.ucsd.edu (Robert O'Barr) writes:
(previous includes deleted)
|> 
|> 1)  If we allow the people populating the Falklands to decide their
|> own fate, will they choose to be an Argentine coloney?
|> 
|> 2)  Has there ever been a strong sentiment among the inhabitants of the
|> Falklands to throw off the British oppressors and subject themselves
|> to their rightful argentine rulers? 
|> 
|> I think the answer to (1) is obvious.  If anyone cares to venture an
|> answer on (2), I would be interested in any possible historical
|> evidences (appearantly Jose Otero knows all the relevant references
|> inside and out) that would show that a pro-argentine sentiment has
|> ever existed in the Falklands.
|> 
|> The opinion expressed by many, that the inhabitants of the
|> Falklands are nothing more than a piece of property that a
|> proclamation given by a pope 400 years ago has bequeathed to the
|> argentine nation conflicts with the principle of a people's right to
|> self-determination.

Robert, where did you pick-up the info. in the paragraph above?
I have never heard of the pope having much to do with this issue,
especially, since England had/has no interest in the pope's viewpoints.

I reproduce here a previous post by Pable Kleinman, wihch covers
the last 200 years of history regarding the MALVINAS islands.
Even English books about the war agree with this account.
(I will be happy to provide the sources by email upon request)

1790 Espanya e Inglaterra firman el acuerdo de Nootka Sound, en el cual los
     hijos de la Gran Bretanya se comprometen a no pescar ni navegar a menos
     de 10 leguas del archipielago.

1811 Los espanyoles se van de las islas para siempre.

1816 Tras obtener su independencia, Argentina reclama la soberania de las
     islas como sucesora de Espanya.

1820 La Argentina se instala en la Isla de Soledad y empieza a nombrar
     gobernadores militares de las islas.

1828 La Argentina envia a Louis Vernet como gobernador civil y militar con
     un grupo de colonos y ocupan todo el archipielago.

1831 Vernet acusa de intrusion a unos barcos balleneros de la USA. La marina
     de guerra de la USA envia la fragata Lexington a sacar las castanyas del
     fuego. USA opina que las Malvinas son "tierra de nadie". Los canyonazos
     del Lexington obligan a un buen numero de colonos a abandonar las islas
     y regresar a La Argentina.

1833 La marina de guerra inglesa viene a terminar la tarea empezada por la
     fragata Lexington. Inglaterra esgrime el principio anteriormente citado
     de que "a rio revuelto, ganancia de pescadores", y expulsa a los pocos
     colonos argentinos que habian quedado en las islas.

     La Argentina pide a la USA que haga valer contra Inglaterra la idea
     indicada por la USA durante el ataque de la fragata Lexington en el
     sentido de que las islas Malvinas son "tierra de nadie", pero la USA
     contesta que "I'm sorry".

1834 La protesta diplomatica de La Argentina contra Inglaterra no surte
     efecto alguno. Con el beneplacito de la USA, Inglaterra ignora la
     protesta diciendo que las islas son suyas. Entre otros argumentos, se
     dice que, al salir de las islas en 1744, los ingleses dejaron un mojon
     que indicaba que aquellos era territorio ingles.

1842 Los ingleses ponen la capital en Stanley y colonizan las islas con
     pastores escoceses. A partir de ese momento, los ingleses ocupan las
     islas como soberanos.

As you can see, England took over the Malvinas, at a time when the UN
did not exist, and when Argentina was a young country, unable to
defend faraway possesions such as these.
Today, such an act of aggresion would not stand.
I don't think self determination would be just in such a case, since
the settlers (Kelpers) are nothing more than English squatters.
Since the UK has announced plans to search for oil in the area,
the soveraignty issue is not just limited to the local inhabitants.
Finally, your previous post stating that Menem had "admitted
Argentina was wrong regarding the Malvinas" is misleading - maybe
you just don't get it!
YES, Galtieri & Co. were dead wrong to use force and refuse to
negotiate, but Menem has NEVER stated that Argentina should
give-up its claim to the Malvinas. Menem's approach is to
reestablish good relations and eventually come to some kind
of agreement that would work for both sides. I believe that
this issue will be settled eventually, much like when Jimmy
Carter decided to have the Panama canal revert to it's original
owner, Panama.


|> Robert

-- 

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