British government officials have dismissed a suggestion by Argentina’s President Cristina Kirchner that Pope Francis could act as mediator in the two countries’ dispute over possession of the Falkland Islands.
“The last thing we need is religion inserted in this,” said Michael Summers, a veteran Falklands legislator. Britain’s United Nations ambassador, Mark Lyall Grant, agreed.
Argentina continues to challenge Britain’s claim of sovereignty over the Falklands despite a decisive British victory in the 1982 war and a conclusive referendum of islanders.