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FALKLAND ISLANDS
FALKLAND ISLANDS AND DEPENDENCIES
Relations with Argentina
1.
The Government have made it clear that while we are not
prepared to resume negotiations on sovereignty, as though nothing had happened, we are more than willing to live at peace
with Argentina and to move back towards a normal bilateral relationship. There has been little response from the
Argentines, who have not even declared a definitive cessation of
hostilities, still less renounced a further resort to force in
pursuit of their sovereignty claim. This being so, it is difficult to predict what progress might be possible in other, hypothetical, circumstances.
2.
We have at least made some slight progress with the
reciprocal lifting of financial restrictions last September (and are taking steps to ensure full Argentine compliance with this agreement). We are also pursuing, together with our EC partners, the possibility of an early reciprocal lifting of
commercial restrictions, although so far the Argentine response
has not been encouraging.
3.
Further progress depends on Argentina. It is her
intransigence which is blocking it so far. And so long as she
maintains her threat to the Falkland Islands, we ourselves will
provide the Islands with adequate protection. This will in no
way prevent us from giving continued support and impetus to the
social and economic development of the Islands, in accordance
with the decisions announced by the Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary on 8 Decembr 1982.
Argentine Claim
4.
We must expect the Argentines to maintain their sovereignty claim. It has been accepted as a fact of life. What we have not been prepared to accept, however, is the Argentine position that any negotiations must be on the basis that they will lead to a transfer of sovereignty.
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