CONFIDENTIAL
Islanders fully informed of any developments which may affect
their future.
TALKS IN NEW YORK 28-29 APRIL
5. The Government authorised the Minister of State at the FCO,
Mr Ridley, to hold exploratory talks with the Argentines in New!
York on 28 and 29 April. An Island Councillor attended as a
member of the UK Delegation. The talks were cordial and positive
and went rather better than we might have expected. But they were
purely exploratory and neither side was empowered to reach any
decisions, The Argentines, as expected, put forward their formal
claim to sovereignty over the Falklands, but they did not allow
this to inhibit the exchanges, which were conducted with considerable
frankness.. We explored the possibilities for co-operation in
development and protection of the economic resources in and under
the waters around the Falkland Islands. The Argentines appeared
to be interested in wooing the Islanders and a proposal for more
direct contacts between the Falkland Islanders and the Argentine
mainland was agreed. But it is clear that overall progress still
depends on progress on the sovereignty issue.
6. Each side now has to report back. While the intention was
expressed to have further rounds of talks, the Argentines will
want future exchanges to be more formal (i.e. negotiations rather
than talks) and they will want to discuss sovereignty.
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