On July 22, Argentine Foreign Ministry announced that it was urging HMG to accelerate the pace of negotiations over the Falkland Islands (Malvinas). The US suspect that the announcement’s timing may also be related to the Argentine Junta’s consideration of participation in the Sinai MFO. Argentina may want to divert media attention from that subject(joining the Sinai MFO) or, on the contrary, make a point: Arab support on the Malvinas issue would be jeopardized by Argentine participation in MFO.
My questions: 1. Did Arab world really support Argentina over the Falklands in 1981? 2. What’s the joining of Sinai MFO got to do with Arab support?
Thank you very much.
The Arabs probably did support Argentina against the UK because both were 3rd world.
It was probably the US that pressured Argentina and other nations to contribute forces to the MFO in the Sinai. The Falklands War put the US in a difficult position vis a vie Argentina and Latin America in general.
Thank you very much.
Any explicit or implicit evidence showing the US pressure forcing Argentina to join the Sinai MFO?
Thank you.
The US President from 1977-81 was Jimmy Carter. He aggressively pushed human rights on allies who were military dictatorship. The US stopped selling arms to Argentina in this period. Argentina turned to Israel to buy weapons. I would guess that it was the Israelis who wanted Argentina to be a part of the Sinai peacekeeping force.
Thank you, madsircool.
So, Argentina didn’t have any pressure from the US, but the Islaelis who supplied weapons to the Argentines. Is that correct?
I cant say for certain. President Carter banned arms sales to the Argentinian junta. I dont think that he had much influence with them. The Argentinians turned to Israel and bought weapons from them. Israel also had an interest in keeping the peace with Egypt.
It is true the Carter administration banned arms sales to Argentina, but that was several years before the Falklands conflict occurred. It was actually 1982, at a time when Ronald Reagan was President of the US, that the conflict happened.
Thank you, but what’s the Argentine joining of Sinai MFO got to do with Arab support? Joining the MFO is embarrassing because the Argentines rely on Israeli weapon supply?
Thank you very much.
