UK's minister to visit Malvinas today

UK media has disclosed today that Minister for Universities and Science David Willets is to visit the Malvinas Islands today, thus becoming the first British minister to visit the South Atlantic archipelago.

According to British newspaper The Times, Willets will make a stopover later today while en route to the Antarctic to review work being conducted by British scientists.

The official’s schedule includes holding talks with military commanders, having dinner with Nigel Haywood, the British Governor to the Islands, and may also include meeting Prince William,who is half way through a six-week posting to the island as a search and rescue helicopter pilot.

The decision to visit Malvinas comes at a highly-sensitive moment in England-Argentina relations. It comes just weeks prior to the 30^th anniversary of the armed conflict of 1982.

Speaking to The Times, Willetts said Britain would robustly defend the desire by islanders to remain British, “What matters is the right of self-determination of the people in the islands.

“They made it very clear they wish to remain British and this should be seen as part of Britain’s historic links to the south Atlantic and the Antarctic.”

Willets is travelling with Dr Mike Pinnock, head of science resource planning at the British Antarctic Survey, and once in the Antarctic, he will spend several days examining how 62.7 million dolars a year is spent on research in the region.