FALKLAND'S DISPUTE

Chronicle (Levin), 21 February 1948, Page 7

FALKLAND'S DISPUTE

. (N.Z.PJL.-

—Reuter,

Argentine And Chile Have Little Claim

■ CoQyright)

NEW YORK, Feb. 19. British sovereignty bf ' the Falklands Islands will be liiaintained unirhpaired,» Bir Wiiliam Tennant, Commander,-iii-Chief of the West Indies. Naval Station, told Reuter's Caracas correspondent in an interview aboard the cruiser Sheffield. He declared that the present status of the islands, which had been under British occupation for nearly 100 years, could ohiy be' changed by the dictum of the International Court ot Justice. "Argentiua and Cliile have little claim on the Falklands. Probably Bpain. has more claim," he said. There was 110 postiibility , of clashing with the Argentine nayy. "It would be sheer stupidity. ' ' A heavy unit now under his command (presumably the. Nigeria) was, however, lieading to the Palklands in order to show the flag. He had nothing to say on a big uranium deposit which was rexiorted to have been discovered soniQ wliere in the Antarctic, although lie had heard much of it. - In Guateniala City, the Foreign Minlstry announced today that Guateniala endorsed the Argentine and Ohilean claims to Antarctic Jands. The statement said recent events in eonnection with the claims were "further evidence of the inevitable need for the disappearance of "colonies in tlie Americas. ' ' Guateniala, at the Ninth Pan-Ameri-ckn conference at Bogota, Colombia, in March, will introduce a resolution calling for the eliminatioii of all colonies in the new world because thev are anachrouistic and contrary to the -principles af Ainerican international law and ideals of freedom and iiidepeiidence among the American. peoplcs. Guateniala is involved in a territorial dispute- with Britain over British Honduras which Guatemala ceded to Britain by treaty in 1858. Guateniala has deiiounced this treaty, claituing that Britain has not livecl up to the compensatory provisions. Diplomats are conlident that the Antarctic disjmte will be settled peaceably, but tliey are ilot optimistic about an earlv settlement because of niany cuuiplicatious aud recent hints that there may be uranium 111 the area. Tlie United Btates is Vatching developments witli interest, but there is no suggestiou tliat its neutral poiicy will be changed. The United Btates' position, which was reiteratcd mauy tinies at the ltio de Janeiro conference last summer is: — First, the United States Governnient lias never uiade a formal claim to land in the Antafctic region, although Aniericau citizens have staked claims in the liame of the 'United Btates; secondly, tlie United Btates does not recoguise tlie claims of any other country to land in tlie Antarctic; thirdly, tlie 'United Btates contends that the hemisplieric security zone drawn at the Llio de Jgneiro e 0 ufcrence luis no ell'ect pn - tlie various claims of suvercigiity.j to :l'and within that zpne. The Kio.de Janeiro treaty 111 atiyseveqt iki notgydt eH'eclive siiice unly jlve natioils Aave ratilied it auiil I'atilicatipn by ;t\w-thirds of Anieric|t|is! required. ' ' ; . Uep'b rts from botli Chile and Argeii-.-tina show tliat public o])inion there is: a sprprisiiigly •trauqui'l 'oue. A .leading' artii'lC 111 a.Bueiios Aires iievvspaper; written witli more bcwilderiiient thnn iinger says: "Britain is giving avvay India, Palestine aud Hunua. -Why all Ihe fuss over far away islands?" ■ Correspoiulents think that for bolli repuldics it is a niatter of national pride rather tinui a'desire to exploit ihe torritories. A message from Imndon says that a Foreign Ollice spokesmau denied reports 1'itnn New York that Britain would .bring the Antarctic disimte with Argentum aud Chile before tlie Security Couucil. The dispute remained a matter for tlie decisiou of tlie Interliatioual Court of Justice.