Argentinian commander gives ‘no attack’ pledge

Press, 17 June 1982, Page 8

Argentinian commander gives ‘no attack’ pledge

. NZPA ■ London British troops on the Falklands have been told they 'will not be attacked from - mainland Argentina. The pledge was given by :- Brigadier-General Mario Menendez, who was Argentine governor of the Falklands. ' to Major-General Jeremy Moore, commander - of British land forces. "General Menendez has just given me an assurance that there will be no attacks from mainland Argentina on us or our shhips or aircraft in this area,” General Moore said. He praised “the superb quality", of his men. "Hard weather, hard country and a determined enemy have made it a jolly hard slog for them." Despite having to march .from one end of East Falkland to the other, “they are as fit and ready to go as ever." In London the British Defence Secretary (Mr John .Nott) said that he could not be certain hostilities were at an end until the Government received an answer from Argentina to this effect. Asked if he thought that the surrender constituted an end to the war, he replied: “I believe it is. although until

we get an answer from Argentina I cannot be certain whether they will continue hostilities from the mainland.”

Asked about repatriation of Argentinian prisoners, he said: “We must wait to see whether the Argentines wish to cease hostilities."

If they did not, then under the Geneva Convention they were prisoners of war and Britain had a right to retain them.

He said that the British troops and thousands of captured Argentine soldiers were sharing appalling living conditions on the freezing Falklands.

In Port Stanley General Moore greeted the .jubilant islanders with the words: “I’m Jeremy Moore and I'm sorry it took us three weeks to get here." The affable, slighly-built General Moore met the people of the islands' capital after accepting General Menendez’s surrender.

“I feel absolutely great. It’s a great relief,” he told Leslie Dowd, a Reuter correspondent.

General Menendez had arrived early for the surrender after talking by radio to the Argentine President (Lieu-

tenant-General Leopoldo Galtieri). in Buenos Aires. “He shook hands briskly with me. but when I asked him for a comment he smiled wryly and replied in English: ‘I prefer not.’ He left immediately after the signing." Dowd said. General Moore paid tribute to the Argentines: "The Argentines fought very bravely, many of them. Now; happily, the killing stops." Then he set off to meet the people, walking down the pitch dark main street to the barn-like West Store.

The 125 people crowded there gave him a huge cheer and women kissed him while men pumped his hand. By the light of a dozen torches — a generator fire has plunged much of the town into darkness — they hoisted him on their shoulders and sang. “For he’s a jolly good fellow.”

Rum and beer were passed round in an impromptu celebration party and toasts were drunk to the task force and the Queen. The same scenes were repeated at the hospital where more than 100 people had gathered.

Islanders told of three days of fierce artillery fire

before the Argentine surrender.

“A cluster bomb went off in our back garden and blew in the back door." said Hilda Stewart, a teacher. Patrick Watts, broadcasting officer of the Falklands radio, station, recalled: "On Friday night there was an almighty battle at the edge of town but it was Argentine soldiers shooting at each other thinking the Brits were here."

Falkland Islanders also formed their own, resistance movement to help British troops.

Several men helped British reconnaissance patrols spot enemy positions. They guided the patrols, taking them by routes the Argentinians would never have expected them to use. Then they pointed out likely hiding’ places for the behind-the-lines patrols to lie up during daylight. Their local knowledge proved invaluable to the heavily-armed British intelli-gence-gathering troops.

Some of the men understand Spanish. At times they got close enough to eavesdrop on the Argentine sentries and -tell the British patrol commanders what was being said.