Full transcript of Roger Waters' statement on the Falklands

"I recently gave a press conference in Santiago Chile, where I answered questions for over an hour.

As I speak no Spanish my answers were translated by an interpreter. I was asked about the Malvinas/Falklands and gave a comprehensive answer. A journalist from Argentina mis-understood me and wrote a news piece in an Argentine paper quoting me as stating categorically that the islands belong to Argentina. I said nothing of the kind. My position is as follows:

The history of the Islands is the story of two opposing colonial monarchies England and Spain batting the territory back and forth back in the day when Empire building was de-riguer. So the currently conflicting positions between Great Britain and Argentina are the doleful inheritance of the, now largely discredited, imperial policies of 16th century European monarchs. The islands themselves existed uninhabited for millions of years before the 16th century and will probably survive the extinction of the human race for millions more. The tragedy of 1982, when 900 young lives were lost was that it was caused by the folly of two political leaders, Galtieri and Thatcher, who were both losing their grip on the reins of power and used the conflict as a distraction. It was described at the time by a Chilean commentator as being like, “ Two bald men fighting over a comb”. Now thirty years later the sound of sabres rattling is rising again. I am not a politician or a diplomat, and have no ready solution, but I am convinced it’s time to sue for peace and seek a compromise, not push for victory. At the end of the day what really matters is that not one more drop of blood is shed on the altar of the imperial aspirations of long dead kings."