GOVERNOR SETS RECORD STRAIT ON AMBASSADOR’S LOW-KEY VISIT
By J. Brock (FINN)
A Parliamentary question will be asked about why Sir Robin Christopher, the British Ambassador to Argentina, kept his recent visit to the Falkland Islands such a secret and why the press weren’t allowed to report on it. In this, the second pit-stop interview with H. E. the Governor Mr. Howard Pearce, FINN, present at the off the record interview, asked some direct questions.
FINN: Robin Christopher: What was the purpose of his visit to the Falklands?
HP: The purpose was to ensure that he’s up to date with what is going on in the Falklands. He had made one previous visit here which was shortly before he took up his post in Buenos Aires. He came here in October of 2000. Obviously understanding the Falkland Islands and meeting the Falkland Islands’ people is extremely important for him in Buenos Aires because he needs to know this place to understand what people feel and what the Falkland Islanders’ views are in order to fulfil his role in Buenos Aires. His purpose in coming here again, some 2.5 years later was really to keep himself, if you like, up to date with the situation in the Falkland Islands, with developments in the Islands themselves and with the current state of Island opinion.
And we gave him a programme during his relatively short visit, which offered him the opportunity to do all of those things. In particular, he had a meeting with Councillors, when he was able to exchange views on a number of relevant issues. He briefed them on the latest developments in Argentina, including developments in the Argentine economy and in Argentine politics and the prospects for elections later this year. He was also able to discuss how work might be taken forward on the memorial to the Argentines who were killed in 1982. I think he went away impressed by the changes which have taken place here even in the 2.5 years since his last visit. And, with a very clear view of Island opinion and in particular, of course, Councillors’ current views on the key issues.
FINN: Did he have any important announcements to make?
No. That wasn’t the purpose of his visit. But it was very useful, from my point of view, to have the opportunity to spend some time with Sir Robin and to talk to him about developments here as I see them. And, to talk in detail about developments in Argentina.
It’s very important that the Embassy in Buenos Aires and the Governor’s office here talk to each other from time to time and that we understand each other’s pre-occupations and have dialogue. It’s particularly valuable for us to do that face to face from time to time.
FINN comment: The Saturday morning meeting was attended by FINN and SARTMA. It was useful for the reasons outlined above, as the brief about political climate in Argentina was precise and afforded a better understanding about candidates that Argentines would be voting for when they have their Presidential elections.
It seems odd that a Parliamentary question would be asked about this, as off the record meetings take place between members of the press and Foreign Office officials frequently. For example, there was a press report, and indeed press attendance at an off the record meeting between the Falkland Islands Association and Mr. Bill Rammel, a new Foreign Office Minister with responsibility for the Falklands and Latin America. The fact that the meeting took place and was off the record was reported in the South American press. No resulting Parliamentary questions will be asked.
At the moment the context of the aforementioned question is not known. Hopefully it will reflect the fact that the media, although not all of the local contingent, did attend.
OIL:
Dr. Colin Phipps had given a very positive report about the potential hydrocarbon reserves underneath the very thick source rock in the North Falkland Basin. We know there may be commercial quantities present and this will put the Falklands on a different economic level.
There had been a letter, published by Councillors, saying that they favoured paying for Islands’ defence should commercial quantities of hydrocarbons be found. At Later meeting between Councillors and Mr. Michael Portillo MP, who was on an official visit to the Falklands, confirmed HMG’s view that any funds going to the UK would go into a general, rather than a specific fund. Has policy changed?
FINN: If Desire strike hydrocarbons in the North Falkland Basin, will the Islands come to an agreement with HMG about paying for our own defence?
HP: It’s not a question that I have addressed either directly with Councillors or, indeed directly with the British Government. No doubt there will be quite a number of considerations to take into account. But I am aware that there has been the offer that you have described.
I think it’s fair to say that Councillors have indicated some time ago – some years ago that they accept the broad principle that the Falkland Islands should make some contribution to the UK Exchequer in the event that oil is found in commercial quantities. But I think the details of that would have to be negotiated at the time in the event of oil being found. If that were to happen during my time as Governor, one of my concerns obviously would be to ensure that in any such negotiations the proper and legitimate interests of the Falkland Islands are properly protected. But I don’t think I can go any further at this stage.
FINN: Have negotiations been completed that will spell out what the UK will be taking in a levy should oil be found in great quantities?
HP: No. They are not on-going at the moment.
CONFERENCE:
FINN: In what ways has the FCO’s Heads of Mission Conference you just attended affected your role as Governor here?
HP: The purpose of the conference was to bring together all of our Heads of Mission – all our ambassadors, high commissioners and Governors from all around the world for the first time ever to gather together for a couple of days to consider with Ministers the Foreign Office’s strategy, if you like, medium-term, long-term strategy – where our priorities as an organisation ought to lie, what our principal objectives are and how we should organise ourselves in order to achieve those objectives.
During the course of those two days we had a speech by the Foreign Secretary and a speech from the Prime Minister and we also had the opportunity to enter direct discussion with the Foreign Secretary and the Prime Minister, with Clare Short, the Secretary of State for International Development and with Adam Ingram, the Minister of State for Defence.
And, we also had the opportunity during that time to break up into smaller groups to discuss together a range of other related issues.
I think it was a very useful event. The very fact of bringing all our Heads of Mission together was valuable. We had the opportunity to engage in a lot of very useful exchanges. I think the conference gave the Foreign Office and its senior leadership the opportunity to establish, perhaps, a closer degree, if you like, of corporate identity. And esprit de corps has always been strong in the Foreign Service.
But I think here we felt that we were working together in a way that we haven’t done in the past on the Foreign Office’s own medium to long-term strategy. I think that was a very useful exercise.
FINN: Were there any results that affect the Falklands in general?
HP: The issues addressed at the conference impinge either directly or indirectly on the work of every Head of Mission overseas. The work of Governors in the Overseas Territories is somewhat different from the majority of the work done by heads of mission overseas but nevertheless, what the conference did was to provide a very useful context within which I am working here. And, after all, our work in the Overseas Territories does fit into the wider context of British Overseas Policy, not least because the British Government is responsible for Falkland Islands’ foreign policy and defence. Therefore, it was a very important opportunity to set what we are doing here in a broader context.
FINN: Was there any general discussion about the South Atlantic, in that David Hollamby was also there? Were you able to discuss with him any areas of common interest?
HP: That wasn’t really an issue which came up as such in the conference. We discussed an enormous number of issues so it wasn’t possible to discuss everything at the two-day conference. I did see David Hollamby briefly but it was a busy programme so we didn’t talk in any detail about items of mutual interest. Governors will in any case have the opportunity to meet again in London in April, at our annual Governors’ conference.
I did, on my way back down here, stop off at Ascension Island and spoke briefly to Andrew Kettlewell, the Administrator.
FINN: The conference took place amid press speculation about Iraq.
Of course, the Conference took place at a time when the Government is very much focused on the problem of Iraq. Some of the British newspapers said that was what the conference was really about. The answer is, it wasn’t. But, of course, that was a very important part of the background. The Prime Minister spoke very clearly about what his priorities were in that context, of the importance of addressing this issue, and of preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and of the importance of bilateral relationships with the United States as well as of the importance of Britain’s role in Europe.
FINN comment: The effort to get all of the Heads of Mission together for such a conference must have been monumental. But it was worth it for many reasons. Hopefully, this won’t be the only such meeting.
