Brazil's Reaffirms
Support to Argentina Over Disputed Islands
PLAYA DEL
CARMEN, Mexico - Brazilian President Luiz
Inacio Lula da Silva said on Tuesday that
the discussion over the sovereignty claim of
the Malvinas (Falkland) Islands should be
reopened.
In a speech during the Group of Rio summit,
President Lula criticized the British
control in the region and reaffirmed his
support to Argentina over the jurisdiction
of the Malvinas, which were claimed by both
Argentina and Britain.
"Our stance is of solidarity with Argentina.
What is the geographic, political and
economic explanation for Britain's presence
in the Malvinas?" the president said, using
the Spanish name for the islands.
"It is impossible that Argentina does not
own the Malvinas but Britain, which is
14,000 km away, does," Lula said.
He also disapproved of the United Nations'
stance on the Malvinas issue. The president
criticized the UN for not taking Argentina's
interests on the matter and questioned the
current structure of the UN Security
Council.
"Just because Britain is a member of the UN
Security Council, they can do everything and
others can do nothing," he said.
A diplomatic row between Argentina and
Britain broke out after a British oil firm,
Desire Petroleum, began drilling Monday in
the waters off the Malvinas islands, which
Britons call the Falklands.
The two countries fought a 74-day war over
the control of the south Atlantic islands in
1982, and Argentina was defeated.
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