MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Flying Falklands visit by Shadow Foreign Secretary

Mr. W. Hague MP during his brief visit to the Falklands

Former leader of the British Conservative Party, now Shadow Foreign Secretary, William Hague paid what was literally a flying visit to the Falkland Islands on Tuesday.

Mr. Hague arrived at the Mount Pleasant Air Base in the Falkland Islands from Brazil, where he had been discussing future international action on climate change and left again the same day. According to a press release from the Conservative Party's office in London, Mr.Hague's visit to Brazil follows Conservative calls for a deepening of relationships with the nations of South America. Mr Hague has already called for Brazil to have a permanent seat on the UN Security Council, when reform of that body takes place. In the Falklands, Mr.Hague met with members of the Islands' Legislative Council in Stanley and the Governor, Mr. Alan Huckle, before returning to Mount Pleasant for a meeting with the Commander of British Forces, Brigadier Nick Davies. At a brief press conference for local media, Mr.Hague reaffirmed the Conservative Party's commitment to the security of the Falklands while also stressing the importance attached to friendly relations with Argentina. Support for the principle of self-determination for the Falkland Islands was, said Mr.Hague, a non-party issue to which a future Conservative Government would be equally as committed as the present Labour administration. Mr.Hague refused to be drawn on whether any future oil discoveries underneath Falklands waters would exacerbate the current difficult stance of Argentina over the sovereignty of the Falklands or to speculate on whether firmer messages by the Conservative Government of Mrs.Thatcher might have avoided the conflict in the South Atlantic, whose twenty-fifth anniversary is currently being celebrated. John Fowler (Mercopress) Stanley

Categories: Politics, Falkland Islands.

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