The Governor of the Falkland Islands has rejected claims by Premier Alex Scott that he didn?t attend this month?s Overseas Territories Consultative Council meeting in London because his delegation asked him to stay at home.

Mr. Scott said at a Press conference earlier this month that the Falklands delegation told him they had asked Governor Howard Pearce to stay at home and he ?busied himself? with something else.

Mr. Scott described that as an example of a ?sensitive relationship? between a Governor and a colony.

And he compared it with Bermuda?s situation where Government asked Britain to ?uninvite? Governor Sir John Vereker, but Sir John still attended.

But speaking to from the Falklands capital Stanley on Tuesday, Mr. Pearce said he did not go to London because it clashed with Battle Day on December 8, one of the biggest ceremonies on the Falklands calendar.

And Mr. Pearce ? who has a more hands-on role than Sir John as he chairs the four-strong executive council ? said his councillors would have had no objections to him going to London.

?The reason was that on December 8 we have the annual Battle Day ceremony, which is a national day,? he told .

?It is one of those events that I simply have to be present at because I have a key part in the ceremonial process.

?I discussed it with the councillors and we decided I just could not be away.

The councillors would have been very happy for me to attend. There must be some misunderstanding somewhere.?

Mr. Scott said yesterday he stood by comments. ?It is still consistent with the fact that he wasn?t there and the reason he wasn?t there was because she (a Falklands delegate) said he busied himself with a festival,? said Mr. Scott.

?I stand by my comments because they have been borne out. All the governors were invited and he wasn?t there.?

However, Jenny Cockwell, managing editor Penguin News, also said that there was no question of the Governor being asked by the Falkland Island delegation to remain at home.

?That?s entirely wrong. The reason he didn?t go was because the December 8 is one of the biggest commemorative parades in the Falklands calendar and he is the key figure in the parade.

?It is far more important for him to stay behind than to attend a conference.?Falklands delegation ask him stay behind: ?No, absolutely not.?

Nick Carter: ?The Governor?s belief is the same as mine, that he (Pearce) was not asked to stay behind by any politician, but because of this event, he decided to do so.?