Hague authorizes Malvinas' ships to change flag for Mercosur ports

Ships from the Malvinas Islands that are barred from ports in Argentina and other Mercosur trade bloc countries can reflag as British ships at any time to avoid the ban, British Foreign Secretary William Hague told reporters in Río de Janeiro on Thursday.

There is no legal barrier to ships registered in Stanley, Malvinas Islands, from sailing under the British flag rather than the flag of the Malvinas, a largely self-governing British Overseas Territory in the South Atlantic, Hague said.

Last month, Argentina convinced its partners in the Mercosur trade bloc - Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, as well as associate member Chile - to ban Malvinas Islands-flagged vessels from entering their ports.

"It is clear that ships flying the British flag should have access to ports in South America as they would in any other part of the world," Hague said on a visit to Brazil.

Ships flying the British flag have reciprocal port entry rights under the United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea that are also granted to Mercosur countries, he said.

The Malvinas Islands' ensign has a British Union Jack on a blue field with the Malvinas Islands coat of arms.

"Argentina has tried to increase tension (with this ban)," Hague said. "All they will get is increased tension."

When asked if the ability of Malvinas Islands ships to reflag as British ships made the ban meaningless, Hague nodded yes.

Hague discussed the Malvinas issue in Brazil's capital of Brasilia on Wednesday but the Brazilian government said it backed Argentina in the sovereignty dispute and would apply the shipping ban.