Issue of Falklands Sovereignty Snags Anglo-Argentine Talks

A fresh round of long-distance diplomatic maneuvering has failed to narrow historic differences between Argentina and Britain over the Falkland Islands.

Sovereignty again proved to be the unbridgeable gap. Both countries assert rightful ownership of the sere, sparsely populated archipelago in the extreme South Atlantic that Britain has ruled as a colony for more than 150 years.

Argentina’s name for the islands is Islas Malvinas. An Argentine invasion to seize the archipelago, which this country claims was stolen from it by the British in 1833, triggered a brief, bloody war, won by Britain, in 1982.

Relations between the two countries have been broken ever since, but last week the British government unilaterally ended an import ban on Argentine goods.

‘Militarization’ Decried

Foreign Minister Dante Caputo hailed the overture, saying it was a tribute to Argentina’s young democracy. He called for resumption of full trade links but expressed concern about “excessive militarization” of the islands. Britain’s military presence in the Falklands has been bolstered by the recent completion of a new airport, which makes possible the first direct, albeit expensive, commercial air service from London.

In formal response to the British gesture, Caputo, in a nationwide address, called for talks within 60 days that would cover all issues, including sovereignty. Argentina, he said, is prepared to end the technical “state of hostility” that it has maintained since the war. Caputo suggested that the United Nations or “friendly powers” could mediate the talks.

“What separates Argentina and Britain is the question of sovereignty,” Caputo declared. “That is the essential problem. Without it, there would be no commercial, economic or diplomatic difficulties.”

British ‘Disappointed’

A spokesman for the British Foreign Office in London called the Argentine response disappointing. The British say they are willing to talk about everything except sovereignty.

During a visit to Brazil earlier this week, Foreign Secretary Geoffrey Howe said that Britain is anxious to resume normal ties with Argentina but that it would be “unreal and irrational” to expect any discussion of sovereignty.

“In 1982, we and the residents of the Falklands were victims of an aggression which cost many British lives. We cannot now behave as though nothing had happened,” Howe said.

Rancor against Britain survives here three years after the war, but so do traditions brought to this country by 19th-Century British settlers. Soccer, rugby and cricket all thrive in Argentina along with British movies, and borrowed-from-Britain names for cities, railway stations, restaurants, shops and schools. Kilts and Argentine-made “English tweeds” are high fashion this winter. Despite the formal trade ban, there is no shortage of Scotch whisky.

Visas Routinely Issued

British diplomats at the British Embassy here routinely issue visas to Argentine travelers, although technically they do so as members of a British interest section within the Swiss Embassy. Argentine diplomats in London work under the Brazilian flag.

The 1982 war toppled the military junta that started it and speeded a return to elected government in Argentina. The administration of President Raul Alfonsin is as willing as the British to resume full ties, but its hands are tied by history and nationalist sentiment.

As a matter of political reality, Alfonsin would be reviled as a traitor if he ever yielded on the sovereignty issue in any talks with the British.