Foreign Relations of the United States, 1981–1988, Volume XIII, Conflict in the South Atlantic, 1981–1984

141. Telegram From Secretary of State Haig to the Embassy in the United Kingdom¹

Buenos Aires, April 17, 1982, 1345Z

Secto 6029. 1. Please deliver ASAP the following message from Secretary Haig to Foreign Minister Pym.

2. Dear Francis:

Further to my message of early this morning²—and as I go into my 10:00 a.m. meeting with the Junta—I want you to have the three key paragraphs we received last night from Costa Mendez following his meeting at Casa Rosada.³ As I told you in my message, we are deeply disappointed. The Argentine paragraphs are totally unacceptable. I will be in touch with you again following my meeting. Al. End of message.

3. Begin Argentine paragraphs:

Interim Administration:

Pending a definitive settlement, all decisions, laws and regulations to be hereafter implemented on the Islands shall be submitted to and expeditiously ratified by the special interim authority, except in the event that the special interim authority deems such decisions, laws and regulations to be inconsistent with the purposes and provisions of this agreement or its implementation. The traditional local administration shall continue through the executive and legislative councils, which shall be enlarged to include an equal number of representatives appointed by the Argentine Government among local residents. The local police shall be subject to the general supervision of the special interim authority. The flags of each of the constituent members of the special interim authority shall be flown at its headquarters.

Links between mainland and Islands:

Full freedom of travel, transportation, movement of persons, residence, ownership and disposition of property, communications and commerce between the mainland and the Islands shall be recognized to the inhabitants of the Islands and to the Argentine nationals coming from the mainland on an equal basis.

The special interim authority shall make specific provisions on these matters in order to implement these freedoms, including arrangements for compensation of Islanders who do not wish to remain.

Negotiations:

December 31, 1982, will conclude the interim period during which the signatories shall conclude negotiations on modalities for the removal of the Islands from the list of non-governing territories under Chapter XI of the United Nations Charter and on conditions for their definitive status, on the basis of the implementation of the principle of Argentine territorial integrity and taking fully into consideration the interests of the inhabitants of the Islands in accordance with the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and Resolutions 1514 (XV), 2065 (XX)⁴ and other relevant resolutions of the General Assembly of the United Nations.

Haig

1. Source: Reagan Library, Executive Secretariat, NSC Cable File, Falkland File 04/17/1982 (1). Secret; Flash; Nodis. Sent for information Flash to the Department of State.
2. See footnote 3, Document 139.
3. See Document 138.
4. UN General Assembly Resolution 2065, adopted December 16, 1965, invited the Argentine and U.K. Governments to proceed with negotiations to find a peaceful solution to the decolonization of the Falklands/Malvinas Islands.