After Monday’s meeting with Pope

UK press slams CFK’s Malvinas mediation request as ‘two-faced’

The British media yesterday published reactions to President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner’s request for Pope Francis to intervene in the Malvinas sovereignty dispute with an air of criticism.

The Daily Mail described the request as opportunistic, starting its report: “Shameless: Argentina president asks for Falklands help from Pope who was once her sworn enemy.”

The article opened by describing the President as “two-faced” for having “made a fawning plea to Pope Francis over the Falklands (Malvinas,)” emphasizing that “before he became Pope, the pair had repeatedly clashed over her liberal views on gay marriage, gay adoptions, sex education and contraception.”

The Times affirmed: “Argentina presses Pope over future of Falklands” after having “officially asked” Francis “to help launch talks with Britain on the sovereignty of the Falklands,” while The Independent said Fernández de Kirchner “uses audience with Pope Francis to request Falklands intervention.”

“Despite having a patchy relationship with the former Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Cristina Kirchner said she asked for his intercession to ‘facilitate dialogue,’” The Independent elaborated.

Britain’s most widely sold newspaper, The Sun, assured the President was “hot-headed” in asking “about the islands despite Falklanders (islanders) only last week voting 99.8 per cent in favour of staying British.”

Victory Front (FpV) Senator Daniel Filmus yesterday slammed the British press’ negative reaction by arguing it is “flippant” to criticize the mediation request, “because this is a bilateral issue and they refuse to engage in bilateral dialogue.”

“Cristina (Fernández de Kirchner’s) opens up an historic new possibility for bilateral dialogue,” he affirmed.

— Herald staff with DyN