§ Mr. Dalyellasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish in the Official Report the preliminary comments of the official spokesman of his Department on 6 January on the statement by President Alfonsin and Foreign Minister Dante Caputo concerning negotiations over the future of the Falkland Islands; and what response he has made to the comments by President Alfonsin and Foreign Minister Dante Caputo, made on 4 and 5 January.
§ Mr. WhitneyThe hon. Member is presumably referring to the comments made by the FCO official spokesman on 4 January about press reports of the communiqué issued by the Argentine Ministry of Foreign Afairs on 3 January. The spokesman said
It appears that the statement is based on the premise that the outcome of the negotiations on the Falkland Islands must be the transfer of sovereignty to Argentina, regardless of the wishes of the Islanders. British Ministers have made clear that they stand by their commitment to the Islanders and are not entering into negotiations about sovereignty. In the Government's view, the way ahead for Anglo/Argentina relations should be to start in practical areas in which agreement should be possible. Several British suggestions for this are already on the table.This remains the position.