Argentina’s ambassador says war is ‘open wound’

THE memory of the Falklands War is an “open wound” for Argentina, the country’s ambassador to the UK has said.

Speaking to the Press Association to mark the 40th anniversary of the conflict, Javier Figueroa said wrangling over the islands’ sovereignty is “ridiculous”, and he compared the situation to the relationship between North and South Korea.

He said most young people in the UK have no idea “Britain has a beef with Argentina regarding the South Atlantic”. The issue of the islands’ sovereignty does not have “high visibility” in public opinion in the UK, he added, but in Argentina it has “huge visibility in public opinion and the ruling class”.

Mr Figueroa said: “This asymmetry is a problem. In Argentina, the war is still a wound – an open wound. It’s almost 40 years, but in Argentina it’s a deeply emotional issue.

“It’s not only emotional, it is political as well. The Malvinas [Falklands] question is the highest priority of my country in foreign policy.”

He said the issue is like a “monster in a room roaring” when it came to relations between the UK and Argentina, and he wants to re-engage in negotiations with the UK Government to discuss the islands’ sovereignty.

“It’s unbelievable that after 40 years we have a situation like North Korea/South Korea in the South Atlantic, which is ridiculous,” he said.

Mr Figueroa referred to recent polling by the charity Help for Heroes which showed the Falklands conflict risks becoming a “forgotten war”, with half of those aged 18 to 34 reporting they do not know when the war was fought, and one in 10 of that age group believing the islands are in the English Channel.

“I am completely sure that the new generation [do not] have any idea regarding the war or that Britain has a beef with Argentina regarding the South Atlantic,” Mr Figueroa said. “That speaks a lot regarding the real level of knowledge... and that is a problem as well.”

The ambassador said the 40th anniversary of the conflict presents

“an opportunity to pay homage for all the people who die in a war that I really believe was almost a stupid war”.

He noted there were only three civilian casualties from friendly fire by British forces, with both sides fighting in a “very gallant way”. He added: “Any war is a mistake – I think it’s a tragedy, but there were almost 1,000 lives lost in that war, 600 Argentinian soldiers and servicemen, and 300 or more British soldiers lost their life, and I think we have to pay homage for the families.”

Mr Figueroa said he believes the way young people in the UK remember the British Empire is also changing, and that for Argentina the British capture of the Falklands had symbolised a “rerun of the colonial issue”.

He added: “I see a growing debate here regarding the British Empire, what it was, what it means, the good heritage and the bad heritage. I clearly believe that the young generation have a clearly different view than older generations.”

He said any Latin American country sees “national integrity as something sacred”.