Argentina Rejects British Expansion of Falklands Fish Zone

Argentina announced today that it has canceled a scheduled discharge of military conscripts and will create a special military committee because Britain expanded its Falkland Islands fishing zone.

Britain retook the islands from Argentine occupation forces after a 10-week battle that killed about 1,000 men in 1982. It decided Wednesday to extend its fishing zone around the islands from three to 200 nautical miles (230 miles), citing in part what it called Argentina’s “aggressive patrolling” of the disputed waters. (Story on Page 6.)

The Falklands are about 300 miles off the southern Argentine coast and the new fishing zone overlaps Argentine territorial waters.

President Raul Alfonsin rejected the British move as a provocation and an encroachment on Argentine sovereignty, saying the action would “cause serious tensions and conflicts, with consequences as yet unforeseeable.”

Defense Minister Jose Horacio Jaunarena told foreign reporters that the armed forces were not placed on alert but that naval vessels remained under orders to patrol the country’s 200-mile offshore zone.

“It’s our zone. The boats are carrying out their normal patrols,” he said. “We are not trying to provoke any incident that could cause Britain” to complain of Argentine aggression.

The minister said he ordered that a discharge of conscripts scheduled for the end of this month be suspended to keep the armed forces at a state of readiness. “We have maintained 100% of the conscripts,” he said, but added that he did not know how many people were involved.

Alfonsin planned to decree the creation of a special military committee to advise him on the affair that would include Jaunarena and several top military officials, the minister said.

‘Tensions and Conflicts’

Alfonsin, after meeting Wednesday with government and military leaders, said Britain’s declaration would “cause serious tensions and conflicts, with consequences as yet unforeseeable.”

A government communique said Argentina favors a negotiated settlement of the Falklands issue but added that it “will not allow the arbitrary attempt by the United Kingdom to exercise powers that conflict with Argentina and to take away areas and resources that pertain to the national patrimony.”

Britain said it took the measure because of failure to reach agreement with Argentina on fishing rights and because of what it called Argentina’s “aggressive patrolling” of the disputed waters. London said fishing restrictions, including licensing requirements, will be strictly enforced within 150 nautical miles (172.5 miles) of the islands.

British Foreign Secretary Sir Geoffrey Howe, announcing the new zone to the House of Commons, said Britain might “use armed force in appropriate circumstances” to protect its rights.

The waters are exploited by a number of foreign fleets, some of which have worked out accords with Buenos Aires allowing them to fish in the disputed zone.

Falklanders have complained that the waters’ stocks of squid, hake and blue whiting are endangered by overfishing from Soviet, Polish and Japanese vessels, among others.