Argentine Foreign Minister Hector Timerman and the rest of

his colleagues in Latin America want the United States, a

former British colony, to back Argentina’s call for Argentine

sovereignty over the Malvinas, aka/The Falkland Islands.

Summit Leaders Seek U.S. Backing Against 'British Aggression' (Minuto Uno, Argentina)

"All countries in this hemisphere were former colonies of the European powers, which have an enduring secular debt to pay … one cannot understand why the United States refuses to support anti-colonialism in the case of the Malvinas Islands, which is a colonialist leftover."

-- Peruvian Foreign Minister Rafael Roncagliolo

Translated By Miguel Gutierrez

April 13, 2012

Argentine - Minuto Uno – Original Article (Spanish)

On Friday at the Sixth Summit of the Americas, Argentine Foreign Minister Hector Timerman asked for the support of his colleagues in condemning what he called "British aggression against Argentina," in reference to the attitude of Europeans in regard to the Malvinas issue.

[Editor’s Note: The Malvinas are known to the British as the Falkland Islands. The island chain was uninhabited when it was discovered by a Dutch explorer in the 16th century. Offically, the U.S. has been neutral on the question since the 1940s. Here is a timeline of de-facto control of the islands].

Foreign Minister Timerman’s request was made during a political dialogue between social stakeholders and government officials before the appointment of a governing board for the summit, which will be held on Saturday and Sunday. Thirty three heads of state and government will be in attendance, among them U.S. President Barack Obama, who has requested a meeting with President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner.

"In addition to all the other challenges of the 21st century, Argentina is still battling 19th century colonialism," Timerman said. In this regard, he sought the support of his colleagues, noting that, "as long as Argentina is not sovereign, the Americas are not sovereign."

Last Thursday, the foreign minister also spoke on the issue, commenting that Argentina has the backing of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States [CELAC] and the Union of South American Nations [UNASUR] around the issue of opening a dialogue over the sovereignty of the Malvinas.

Peruvian Foreign Minister Rafael Roncagliolo also mentioned the islands, saying, "All countries in this hemisphere were former colonies of the European powers, which have an enduring secular debt to pay," and that Latin America has, "a commitment to anti-colonialism."

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Roncagliolo also stressed that the United States was part and parcel of the process of decolonization, and therefore, “one cannot understand why the country refuses to support anti-colonialism in the case of the Malvinas Islands, which is a colonialist leftover."   

Posted by Worldmeets.US

Paraguayan Foreign Minister Jorge Lara Castro expressed similar sentiments. But Argentina, Peru and Paraguay could not reach a consensus with some of the other countries at the Summit of the Americas, such as the U.S. and Canada.

In this sense, Foreign Minister Timerman explained that except for the United States and Canada, all countries at the summit support a final declaration that includes "a new manifestation of solidarity" with "Argentina's decision to negotiate the return of the islands with Britain."