Crush the British — general

Press, 3 June 1982, Page 1

Crush the British — general

NZPA-Reuter Buenos Aires Argentina’s military commander on the Falkland Islands has called on his troops to inflict a crushing defeat on British forces poised for a final showdown. Brigadier-General Mario Menendez said in a message to his troops: “Our adversary is preparing to attack Puerto Argentine (Port Stanley) with the daring intention of conquering the Malvinas' capital. “We must not only defeat him, but do it in such a crushing manner he will never more hold the outragious idea of invading our territory.” General Menendez was made governor of the islands after Argentina seized them on April 2. In London high-ranking defence sources said yesterday that British troops had seized Mount Kent, a 450 m hill 16km west of Port Stanley, without loss.

A British correspondent on the Falklands also reported that some of the 5000 British troops already on East Falkland Island were in sight of Port Stanley and held the high ground round it. The sources said they did not expect an all-out attack in the next few days because, “a lot of men and stores have to be moved about.” They said that Major-Gen-eral Jeremy Moore, of the Royal Marines, had assumed over-all direction of the British ground forces to leave his Director of Operations, brigadier Julian Thompson, free to concentrate on what is generally regarded as the decisive battle against the Port Stanley garrison.

Government officials said: “We took the decision to fight for Port Stanley a long time ago.”

The military High Command in Buenos Aires said that Argentinian Air Force planes had bombed "British positions close to the capital at dawn yesterday. A British Harrier jump jet was shot down later by antiaircraft guns over Port Stanley, the command said. The pilot had baled out but fell into the sea.

The Argentinian sources estimated that the British assault on Port Stanley may have been delayed by an air strike launched by Argentinian Navy and Air Force planes on the British task force,, which could have seriously reduced the ground forces’ air cover.

The Argentine High Command says that the attack on Monday had inflicted heavy damage on one of the fleet’s aircraft carriers, and military. sources said it was the Invincible. The British Defence Ministry has said that none of the task force ships was hit. in the raid but the High. Cdm-

mand said yesterday Britian had admitted that there had been an attack, although it tried to say losses were less than they were. The Argentinian Foreign Minister, Dr Nicanor Costa Mendez, will fly to Havana today to attend a Ministerial meeting of the Non-aligned Movement where he is expected to restate Argentina's position in the conflict. Two military officers and close aides to the three-man ruling junta went to New York yesterday to help the Deputy Foreign Minister, Mr Enrique Ros, in his talks with the United Nations Secretary-General. Mr Javier Perez de Cuellar, on a diplomatic solution. Brigadier Jose Miret. the Planning Secretary, and Rear-Admiral Benito Moya, chief of the Presidency's military staff, said that they had precise instructions from the junta for the Argentinian delegation to be able to give a fast reply to any suggestion from Mr Perez de Cuellar. Brigadier Miret said the possibility of an early cease-, fire was up to Britain., “We have made our position as flexible as possible and do not find anything but intransigency on the other side, so we are ceding all that is prudent in order to achieve an honourable peace,” he said. “We are showing once again that we have as much good will for peace as resolve for war.” But Dr Costa Mendez later denied reports that Brigadier Miret and Admiral Moya were taking new proposals to the United Nations. “They are not carrying any proposal,” he said. In London, Britain said it had sent Mr Perez, de Ceullar a message repeating that there could be no end to hostilities without an Argentine withdrawal. Mr Perez de Cuellar will report to the Security Council today on his latest efforts to bring an end to the fight-, ing. The British Prime Minister (Mrs Thatcher) is under mounting, pressure at home and from the United:,-Stites to avoid 1 inflicting a hhriniliat-. ing defeat on Argentina. But a member of the “War Cabinet” declined to comment on press speculation that Britain would give the Argentine garrison. time to consider surrender before , launching a big assault on Port Stanley. In Buenos Aires, a journalist who accurately predicted Argentina’s taking of the Falklands, said the country’s military Government had decided to continue fighting for the islands even if the' British captured Port Stanley.

Further reports, P 8