R.A.F. landing row flares

Press, 1 July 1983, Page 6

R.A.F. landing row flares

NZPA-Reuter London A diplomatic row was brewing yesterday after it was disclosed that another British aircraft flying to the Falkland Islands had landed in Brazil. The news came about 24 hours after Argentina had expressed its concern about such actions after the landing of an R.A.F. Hercules at Brazil’s Candas base, near the border with Uruguay, last Friday. The British Ministry of Defence said that Wednesday’s emergency landing at Florianopolis, on thee southern Brazilian coast, had been caused by bad weather as the Hercules flew from Ascension Island to the Falklands.

A Ministry spokesman said that “ad hoc” landings had been agreed on with the Brazilian Government, and were not regular. No aircraft was carrying contentious items, such as arms.

But an Argentinian diplomat said that news of the latest landing had caused

“amazement and consternation” at his country’s embassy in Brazil’s capital Brasilia.

On Tuesday Argentina approached the Brazilian Government after reports of several landings and refuelling by British aircraft this year in Brazil. The Argentinian Ambassador, Mr Hugo Camonos, told the Brazilian Foreiggn Minister, . Mr Ramiro Saraiva Guerreiro, that he feared the affair might damage relations between the two countries. The use of Brazilian territory as a staging post, even on an ad hoc basis, is seen in British defence circles as vitally important because of the complicated task of refuelling Hercules in midair; on non-stop flights from Ascension to the Falklands. But Brazil, which has cordial relations with Argentina and Britain, has so far strived to avoid upsetting Buenos Aires, saying that regular facilities would not be granted to the British planes.