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Subscribe to RSSArgentina is slamming Prince William's deployment to the Falklands. Some Argentine veterans say the move is aggressive and arrogant, but most residents on the islands are preparing to welcome the Prince. ITN's Bill Neely reports.
British officials said Wednesday they would not engage in talks with Argentina following President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner's statement that her government would complain to the U.N. Security Council about militarization of the Falkland Islands, the BBC reported.
Last week, Prince William, the second in line to the British throne, was posted to the Falklands for six weeks as a Royal Air Force military search-and-rescue helicopter pilot. Britain has also sent a new military destroyer, the HMS Dauntless, to the South Atlantic off the Falklands, an archipelago nearly 300 miles off the mainland of South America. it is called Las Malvinas by Argentina.
Argentina to protest 'militarization' of South Atlantic at UN
According to the BBC, Fernandez told a group of Argentine government officials and veterans of the Falkland War on Tuesday that she believed Britain was “militarizing the South Atlantic one more time.”
Reuters reported that a spokesman for British Prime Minister David Cameron said Britain was not militarizing the South Atlantic and that the deployment of ships is “entirely routine.”
Tensions have been rising between the two countries as the 30th anniversary of the Falkland War approaches.
In 1982, Argentina, under the leadership of a military junta, launched a 10-week war with Britain over the country’s claim to the Falklands. At the time, the Security Council called on Argentina to withdraw its forces. Dispute over the island’s sovereignty dates back 180 years.
According to The New York Times, a spokesman for the British Foreign Office said, “The people of the Falkland Islands are British out of choice. They are free to determine their own future, and there will be no negotiations with Argentina on sovereignty unless the islanders wish it.”
Reuters contributed to this report.
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I really wish the UK government would just be quite on this as it's playing the Argentine game which is to stir up as much controversy as possible.
There's nothing to negotiate unless either the Falkland Island inhabitants decide they want to leave or to join Argentina. At the moment they don't seem to want to do either so the UK government is between a rock and a hard place. Either they force them to leave as in self ethnically cleanse the Island which I'm not sure legally they would be allowed to do or they just say we're not going to defend you any more.
British, go back home! Out of Latin America. Kings and princes are outdated, so is colonialism .
The Falkland Islanders are British and they're already at home.
The Falklands isn't part of Latin America, that's the entire point.
@ Another Fine Mess
I'm sorry to break your heart, but Las Malvinas are located on the continental shelf of South America. This, according to the 1958 UN Convention on the Continental Shelf, establishes a formal claim in favor of Argentina. Additionally, the residents of Las Malvinas were made British only after the war in 1982. They were never British citizens before the war thus showing negligence on behalf of the United Kingdom.
@ Antonio
This is the problem on both sides people are *absolutely* sure they are correct which is why people have fought and died over the issue.
I'm interested to know what you would plan to do with the people who have lived there for hundred's of years. I'm hoping it's not the same as what your ancestors did to the native south american population when they colonised Argentina.
I have a problem supporting a country that still have a Queen, Prince's, Dukes, Earls, etc. They are considered royalty (blue bloods). They are born into this roll and considered by many to be better than the common folk. They live in palaces and receive millions of pounds annually just for being royalty. Some people think this is wonderful but ask those that are struggling to make ends meet each and every month. Anyway, it's just my personal opinion and thank God I live in the USA.
Cub,
We have our Blue Bloods as well. They are named Bush, Kennedy, Paul, etc. The difference is we actually elect them and give them real power. The British are not that dumb, theirs are only symbols.
I am sure that the Brits are happy that you live in the USA too, Cub T.
re : Cub T
I'm not sure how connected this is to the article but anyway.
We are lucky to have a royal family that do actually put themselves on the line for the country and care about it, this hasn't always been the case.
They are lots of things to the UK but to me they are the backup plan politically as in the Queen has the power to dissolve parliament if the politician's get out of hand. She also provides a degree of continuity between prime ministers as the prime minister has regular meetings with her.
No system is perfect but for me I'm very happy with the situation as I think it's got a good balance and I know for sure that it's not possible to bribe the Queen to say or do something because she need's money to be re elected.
Antonio
So is the rest of South America, does that mean it all belongs to Argentina?
I suggest you look at Article 1.2 of the UN Charter, self determination trumps location, until the British subjects of the Falklands vote to become Argentinian they will remain British.
Army,
Don't leave out Obama, Buffett, Reid, Pelosi, and many other wealthy liberals on your list of ruling class elites ... they are no different.
atcrocketman
We do not have to give Gantanamo to Japan. We must give Guantanamo to CUBA, that is part of their land and US are occupying it illegally.
Antonio, technically Chile is the closest to Islas Malvinas not Argentina.
Anyways, self-determination by the residents suggests they wish to remain a part of the Commonwealth. Who are you to decide otherwise.
BTW Hawaii is closer to Mexico than the USA, does that mean it should become a part of them?
Argentina should forget about it, it didn't fight smart when it has some chances and lost, now it should shut up.
Britain's 1765 claim to the Islands predates Argentina's existence as an independent state.
http://www.britishempire.co.uk/maproom/falkland/gettingitright.pdf
...Britain has run the Falklands since a few years before the Alamo fell. They are not "lording it over the natives..." They are the natives. U.S. Marines took the place shortly before the Brits (putting down piracy) but then immediately left...
...Had the dictatorship waited just a little while longer the Brits (who had already scrapped their full deck carrier) would have scrapped their jump jet carriers and the British could never have taken it back. The Brits now have no carriers at all...
...The stupid thing is that the British government wanted to negotiate their way out... some "guarantees" that the dictatorship would have soon scrapped...(like Mugabe in Zimbabwe) but the demand was that the inhabitants of the Falklands immediately become Argentinian citizens or pack up and leave... At the time the Argentinian government was a rancid dictatorship that had made thousands of its own citizens vanish into "night and fog..."
...At the end of the war, the Argentine government (ignoring pleas from family members) refused to allow dead Argentine soldiers (largely draftees) to be returned... So they are buried in the Falklands as a "claim" to the islands... and a tribute to the pig headed refusal to negotiate a settlement that will allow the British government to quietly exit... Abject surrender to the unrealistic Argentine demands would destroy any British government... especially after they had to bury some of their finest young men taking it back from a nasty dictatorship (that was ejected shortly after losing the war...)
...Argentina is not now a dictatorship... and if their leaders would negotiate in good faith rather than demand unconditional surrender... the problem would go away. But, like Palestinian leaders... too many Argentinian politicos have promised no compromise to their supporters...
...The British are in a very bad position militarily... Not only no carriers (can't reinforce once shooting starts) but Argentina vastly stronger these days... with aircraft that are not at the end of their range as they were the first time around... But this time no mere honor guard to face invasion... but a full battalion... Serious killing would be required.
...All that the British could do would be to have their nuclear subs sink any Argentinian ships within a prohibited zone around the islands... and in extremis blockade Argentinian ports...
...Peace is always at the mercy of fools...
What's to negotiate?
Poor losers...the Argies must be trying to cover up some internal scandal that's brewing....
I dont think they would want to get stung again....but who knows...they are Argentines after all....
Leave the Falklands alone Argentina.
People have a right to self determination and Falklanders have decided to be British, 99% as a matter of fact!
Recent polls attest to that!!
The British have been there for at least 180 years ++ Falklanders consider themselves members of the British Empire as they call it. Additionally, the Argentinean government is one of the most interventionist in the world with a very low economic freedom index. Under their rule, islanders would get the shaft and their US$38 thousand per capita income would probably plummet even below Argentina´s US$ 15 thousand per capita income. If Argentina rules the Falklands all the islanders´ hard gained riches through sheep farming would be lost. Just look at the history of their currency:
The pound is the currency of the Falkland Islands, a British Overseas Territory in the South Atlantic Ocean. The symbol is the pound sign, £, or alternatively FK£, to distinguish it from other pound-denominated currencies. The Falklands pound has always been pegged to the pound sterling at par and banknotes of both currencies are used interchangeably on the islands (although only notes issued by banks in the United Kingdom are generally accepted in Britain itself).
The pound was introduced following the reassertion of sovereignty in the Falklands Islands by the British in 1833. Initially, the British currency circulated, with the pound subdivided into 20 shillings, each of 12 pence. Specific issues of banknotes have been made for the Falkland Islands since 1899. In 1971, the pound was decimalized and subdivided into 100 pence. Coins have been minted specifically for the Falklands since 1974. During the earlier Argentine occupation, the peso circulated. In 1974, ½, 1, 2, 5 and 10 pence coins were introduced. 50 pence coins were introduced in 1980, followed by 20 pence in 1982, 1 pound in 1987 and a circulating 2 pounds in 2004. The ½ penny coin was last issued in 1983 and was demonetized shortly after. Smaller versions of the 5p, 10p and 50p, corresponding to the current UK issues, were issued in 1998, replacing the larger versions (which for the 5p was eight years after its introduction in the UK). The introduction of the circulation £2 coin in 2004 was six years after the same coin was issued in the UK. All the coins have the same composition and size as the corresponding British coins.
Between 1899 and 1901, the government introduced notes for 5 and 10 shillings, 1 and 5 pounds. The 5 shilling notes were issued until 1916. In 1969, in preparation for decimalization, the 10 shilling note was replaced by a 50 pence note. 10 pound notes were introduced in 1975, followed by 20 pounds in 1984 and 50 pounds in 1990. Banknotes in circulation are:
Falklands' banknotes feature the same images, differing only in their respective denominations and corresponding colors. On the front side, all notes contain a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, the Falklands' coat of arms, a small map of the islands, and images of two of the islands' main animals, penguins and sea lions. On the back, notes feature pictures of Christ Church Cathedral in Stanley and Government House, the official residence of the Governor of the Falkland Islands.
How more British can you get??
Finally, it´s funny to assume that Argentina can reclaim islands they never owned. Before Britain it was Spanish, before Spain it was French, before France it was Dutch. The Falklands have never belonged to Argentina. These islands were uninhabited that made a good emergency port for whalers, pirates, and ships transiting the Cape. The only permanent residents to ever desire living there have been British for almost 200 years. Argentina claims are based on a gift of the Islands from Spain when they achieved their independence. But could Spain give something they didn't own? In any case, the population of the Falklands is British and wishes to remain so.
Therefore, it follows that the Falklands are British territory, and England might have to enforce this with her naval, aerial, and infantry forces.
In the final analysis, there is nothing to negotiate with Argentina, if the Falklanders wish to remain as English citizens.
SO! How's that big DILDO-LOOKING DESTROYER making out in the FAWK-LANDS!
just another case of the big bully in school taking away the weaker kid's milk money by force !
The argument fro being British:
1) Hundreds of years of history
2) All legal claims (quote from "Another Fine Mess" above:
Britain's 1765 claim to the Islands predates Argentina's existence as an independent state.
3) The self determination of the residents...
The argument for becoming Argentinian:
1) Whining about proximity
2) Whining that Great Britain has royalty...
The Argentinian argument has about the same merit at the US claiming Nova Scotia, because it is close by...
ten thousand miles from home and they say the land is british! you got to be kidding!..or your'e just a british colonialist caught in a vortex of a twilight zone of colonial times.
No the population says they wish to be a part of the Commonwealth. The Brits are merely defending people who wish to be a part of that.
Proximity to another country has no relevance. If it did, The Falklands/Islas Malvinas would be Chilean before they would become a part of Argentina.
BTW, at least comprehend the terms you are using. British = residents of the island of Great Britain = English, Welsh and Scottish people. No matter what they are, Falkland Islanders can NEVER be Brits.
LAS MALVINAS SON ARGENTINAS!!!!!
Yes, Las Malvinas are so Argentine. Did you not hear about the vote they had a while back? The one mentioned in the comments above in which the islanders voted to remain British? Have you been to the islands? They're British, gaucho roto. Argentina only paid serious attention to the islands whenever the Beagle Channel Conflict with Chile was fizzling out, because Argentina's junta needed another distraction from its internal problems. Give it a rest, there's a reason why all the islanders are of European descent and recognize Britain as their protector. The islands are and will remain the FALKLAND Islands until the islanders choose otherwise, not some disgruntled and bitter Argentine populist caricatures.
Timono
The British have ignored the Malvinas and its people. it was only when Argentina claim them that they give citizenship to those people.
Britain needs to get the hell out of S. America. The days of colonialism have long since passed. If the Argentinians should decide to retake the islands there won't be much that Britain can do about it. She's not the power that she was during the last dustup and Argentina has had time to prepare. The U.S suffered greatly diplomatically for helping that moo cow Thatcher fight off the Argentinian forces before. We should stay out of the conflict this time. Wasn't there something called the Monroe Doctrine that was supposed to keep European powers out of the Americas?
Chris G, and it was Ronald Reagan who give satellite coordinates of the Argentinas ships to Tatcher, other wise the British would not have a navy today.
The Argentina military junta had a deal with Reagan to invade Nicaragua and get rid off the Sandinistas. Regan betrayed the junta and went then Reagan had to sale arms to our worst enemy: Iran.
180 years under British rule? How far back do you take this?
Present day Argentina didn't always exist either - it was taken away from an indiginous population.
Tony... let it go. What do you want with that pile of rock anyway?