§ Mr. Dalyellasked the Prime Minister if she will make a statement on her response to the International Red Cross approach to allow bereaved Argentines to visit the Falkland Islands.
§ The Prime MinisterWe have given this approach very careful consideration and are aware of the sensitivities involved. The civil commissioner in Port Stanley has also consulted the Falkland Islands elected councillors. We have concluded that it would not be right to prevent close relatives of those Argentines who died on the Falklands from making a visit to their graves provided that such a visit is organised and supervised by the International Committee of the Red Cross—ICRC—that it is purely humanitarian in nature, and that certain conditions are observed. We have asked the ICRC to make this clear in response to any inquiries and we are in discussion with it about the details of such a visit.
At the same time, we repeat yet again the offer which has been made to the Argentine Government on several occasions to return to Argentina the bodies of its service men at present buried on the Falkland Islands. We hope this offer has been communicated to the next-of-kin.
§ Mr. Dalyellasked the Prime Minister what representations she has received either from Uruguay or through the International Red Cross from the Uruguayan Government on the proposed visit to the Falklands of bereaved Argentines.
§ The Prime MinisterBoth the Uruguayan Government and the International Committee of the Red Cross have been in touch with us on this subject through diplomatic channels. The details of the exchanges are confidential.