Argentina In New Battle Over The Falklands

[Ryan Ruck]

Argentina's President Fernandez Demands Falklands Talks

June 14, 2012

Argentina's President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has demanded that Britain enter negotiations over the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands.

President Fernandez was addressing the UN Committee on Decolonisation on the 30th anniversary of the UK territory's liberation from Argentine occupation.

She said history and geography backed Argentina's claim. But an islander told the committee Argentina was "bullying".

UK Prime Minister David Cameron has said there would be "no negotiation".

Earlier on Thursday, the Falklands marked the end of Argentina's 74-day 1982 occupation with a service at Port Stanley's Christ Church cathedral.

Veterans of the war then led a military parade to the Liberation Monument for an act of remembrance, paying tribute to the 255 UK servicemen and three Falklands civilians who died in the war.

An estimated 650 Argentines were also killed during the conflict.

The BBC's Barbara Plett said President Fernandez made as much as she could of her platform at the United Nations, where a majority backs Argentina's demand that the Falklands' status be negotiated.

The president was accompanied by more than 90 delegates and raised the diplomatic stakes by travelling to New York personally on the sensitive anniversary of the islands' liberation, our correspondent said.

President Fernandez said that the Malvinas - as Argentina refers to the islands - formed part of the South American continental plate.

"How can it be claimed that, 14,000 kilometres away [8,700 miles], that it can be part of the British territory?" she asked.

"The UK is benefiting from its privileged position as a permanent member of the security council of the United Nations," she said.

"The issue of the Malvinas is a challenge to see whether or not we are capable of overcoming prejudice and cliches that are outdated, because the world has changed and there are new players."

President Fernandez said Argentina was "just asking to talk" about the islands' sovereignty and the fact they were still under British rule was "an affront to the world which we all dream of".

'Lust For Lands'

Two Falkland Islands legislators also spoke at the same session, where they insisted on their right to self-determination.

Legislator Mike Summers said Falkland Islanders had a "distinct and clear identity" and considered the islands to be their country and home.

"As much as Argentina might like to airbrush us out of existence to satisfy its unjustified lust for our lands, such behaviour belongs to another era and should not be tolerated in the modern world," he said.

Mr Summers tried to pass a letter offering talks with the Falklands government to President Fernandez but could not get close enough.

Argentina's foreign minister refused to take the document telling the legislator to "send it to my embassy".

In a speech at the Falkland Islands Government reception on Thursday evening, David Cameron spoke of "aggression from over the water".

"My message to the government of Argentina is this: the UK has no aggressive intentions towards you.

"Accusations of militarisation and nuclear threats are hyperbole and propaganda.

"But do not under-estimate our resolve," he added.

"Threats will not work, attempts to intimidate the islanders will not succeed, because Britain stands ready and willing to stand up for the Falkland Islanders at any time.

"As long as they wish to remain a British territory, that is the way it will stay."

Mr Cameron paid tribute to the bravery of those who served in the Falklands and said Britain would always be in their debt.

Foreign Office minister Jeremy Browne attended the service in Port Stanley. He said it was "hard to convey" to the wider world "just how much this means to the Falkland Islanders".

"There are hundreds of people gathered here in what is frankly really freezing cold, inhospitable weather, and they are doing that because they are so grateful for what we achieved on their behalf 30 years ago," he said.

In London the Falklands' flag flew over government buildings.

[Ryan Ruck]

British And Argentinian Leaders Clash Over Falklands

June 20, 2012

Argentina's President Cristina Kirchner and Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron clashed publicly at the G20 summit over the future of the disputed Falkland Islands.

Argentinian officials branded the British leader a "colonialist" in dismissing Kirchner's call for talks on the sovereignty of the islands, while Cameron said he had been attempting to counter Argentina's "propaganda".

The pair came face-to-face at the meeting of the world's major economies in Mexico, at a time when tensions between their countries were already running high just days after the 30th anniversary of the Falklands War.

Cameron urged Kirchner to respect the will of the 3,000 residents on the South Atlantic islands, who want to remain British. Kirchner countered him by citing UN resolutions calling for sovereignty negotiations.

"The president had the UN resolutions and she said to Cameron: 'Let's respect the United Nations'," Argentina's Foreign Minister Hector Timmerman said.

"The prime minister refused to accept the documents, turned his back and walked away without a farewell," he added, accusing Britain of disrespecting UN resolutions and of retaining an imperialist mindset.

"After years of acting as a colonial power they have forgotten that they are responsible for the existence of colonialism, and that it is countries like Argentina that defeated most of the colonial projects in the world," he said.

Cameron confirmed he approached Kirchner in order to urge her to respect the right of Falkland Islanders to choose their own future in an upcoming referendum that is expected to show overwhelming opposition to Argentinian rule.

"We should be clear that because there's a referendum there's an opportunity for those countries in the world who have not looked at this issue for a while and have perhaps accepted some of the propaganda put around by Argentina or its supporters to look again at this issue and recognize that the people of these islands should be able to determine their own future," he said.

"It's an important point to make to the Argentine president and an important point to make more widely and that's exactly why I did what I did."

A Downing Street source, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that there had been a tense exchange, but downplayed the allegation that Cameron had refused to accept a packet of documents from Kirchner.

"He took it up to her to make those points. She took that badly and that was basically it," she said.

"I don't think it was actually totally clear that she was trying to give him documents.... We're following up with Argentinian officials here to see if there are any documents they want to give us."

In 1982 Argentina's former military regime invaded and occupied the Falkland Islands, which are known as the Malvinas in Spanish.

Britain promptly dispatched a naval task force to the South Atlantic and recaptured the territory after a brief but fierce war which left 255 British soldiers and 650 Argentines dead.

Argentina now has an elected civilian government and Kirchner has called for negotiations with Britain on the islands' future.

British officials accuse her of stirring nationalist passions for domestic political gain, and Cameron has refused to discuss the issue of sovereignty.

[Ryan Ruck]

Foreign Office Fury As Argentina Allows Thugs To Smash Up Falklands Tour Office And U.S. Travel Firm Cancels Holidays

November 24, 2012


Under attack: Masked thugs throw rubbish at the entrance of the shipping agent's office in Buenos Aires, Argentina

Britain has accused Argentina of trying to ‘strangle’ the Falklands economy after it failed to stop a violent raid on a shipping office which handles cruises to the islands.

Two cruise ships cancelled scheduled stops at the islands last week, apparently as the result of the ransacking of the shipping agent’s office in Buenos Aires.

Police were nowhere to be seen as masked thugs wielding clubs smashed plate glass windows, scrawled graffiti and upturned dustbins in the Argentinian capital. No arrests were made.

Falklands War veteran Simon Weston described the incident as ‘an act of economic warfare’ which should be rebuffed.

The ships were operated by two cruise lines, one Dutch and the other German, both part of the huge US-based Carnival Corporation. One blamed the ‘political situation’ for cancelling the visit, the other ‘bad weather’ – even though conditions were fine on the islands.

They were the first big cruise ships due this summer season.

A British Government source described the apparent capitulation by the companies as ‘rather spineless’, adding: ‘We have told the cruise groups that they cannot respond to Argentina’s economic aggression towards the Falklands.

‘It’s wholly inappropriate to accede to action which is tantamount to blackmail. These big cruise firms are significant players and should face down such demands firmly.’

In February, P&O ship the Adonia and the Carnival’s Star Princess liner were both refused entry to the Argentinian port of Ushuaia, because they had visited the Falklands.

Islanders, who receive a £10 million boost to their economy from visiting cruise ships, fear the boycott could spread to other liners.

In a strongly worded statement, the Foreign Office condemned the protests by hardline Left-wing group Quebracho on Monday, clearly implying that the Argentinian government shared the blame.

‘We are deeply concerned to learn that a cruise company has taken the decision to cancel a visit to the Falkland Islands following a violent act of intimidation against their shipping agents in Buenos Aires,’ said a spokesman.

‘It is shameful that elements within a large country like Argentina should seek to strangle the economy of a small group of Islands. Such action benefits nobody and only condemns those who lend it support.

‘We have made this very clear to the government of Argentina. We will take every necessary measure to support the Falkland Islanders.’

The militants moved in on the offices of Argentine Shipping Services in an organised attack on Monday afternoon. Terrified office staff ran for cover as the raiders threw paint bombs and stones.


Aftermath: Smashed glass covers the floor after the attack

Afterwards, the group’s leader Fernando Esteche said: ‘Cruise liners cannot stop on the islands which they call the Falklands because they are our Islas Malvinas.’

The protesters told the shipping agents that if the Falklands leg was not formally cancelled, they would block the ship’s access to Buenos Aires, Ushuaia and Puerto Madryn.

The attack was the latest in a campaign over the Falklands which has been fanned by Argentinian president Cristina Kirchner, who critics say is trying to distract attention from her failing economic strategy.

Former Welsh Guardsman Simon Weston OBE, who survived 49 per cent burns in the Sir Galahad attack in Bluff Cove in 1982, said: ‘This is sly and snidey economic warfare which is the only kind the Argentinian government can wage these days. This is the way she [Kirchner] operates. It’s just cheap and nasty politics from a cheap and nasty politician.

‘The cruise ship companies should tell Kirchner they will pull out of Argentina full stop if this continues. It’s not the Falkland Islanders who are behaving like thugs and smashing up offices, so why should they suffer? But the islanders are tough people and will survive whatever the Argentinian government throw at them.’

Sara Jones, widow of Lieutenant Colonel ‘H’ Jones, who won a posthumous VC at the Battle of Goose Green leading 2 Para during the war, said: ‘It’s very sad because the islanders rely very much on the cruise ships coming in.

‘The Argentinian government seems to use rather underhand methods, but we should be used to them by now.

‘It think it is spineless of the cruise lines. It’s also very disappointing for those on the cruise liners. . . it would probably be a highlight of their cruise.’

Following the Buenos Aires protest, the Holland America Line ship MS Veendam cancelled a stop at the Falklands due on Friday, while on Thursday the AIDAcara, part of the German AIDA line, called off a scheduled stop.

Local agent Sulivan Shipping in Port Stanley tweeted: ‘The AIDAcara due to visit on December 3 has cancelled her visit due to the current political situation in Argentina. A huge blow for all involved, let’s hope this doesn’t continue throughout the season.’

A Holland America Line spokesman said last night: ‘Regarding our scheduled calls to the Falkland Islands, when the weather is good and predictable we go there, when it is not – which is most of the time – we don’t.’ AIDA Cruises in Germany could not be reached for comment.

Details of the new round of Falklands hostilities broke hours after the funeral of Sir Rex Hunt, the doughty governor of the islands during the 1982 war.

Thirty years on, the inlet at Bluff Cove on East Falkland is still synonymous with the darkest day of that war, but is now home to Kevin and Hattie Kilmartin who, as well as running a sheep farm, organise excursions for cruise passengers to see the local colonies of Gentoo and King penguins. In June 1982 in Bluff Cove Argentinian air attacks on the Sir Galahad and Sir Tristram landing ships killed 50 British servicemen and injured more than 100.

The Kilmartins fear that if the non-appearance of the ships sets a trend, their business could go under, along with others.

‘The Argentine government has been ratcheting things up for months since the incident in Ushuaia with the Star Princess and the Adonia,’ said Mr Kilmartin.

‘Bluff Cove was in the thick of the war with Argentina and this, the 30th year, has hosted many 1982 veterans. It is now plunged into an economic war as the Argentine government bullies the American and European cruise ship companies into deleting the Falklands from their cruise itineraries.

‘If these bully-boy and illegal tactics are successful the economy of our farm and many others will be destroyed, with wider implications for the whole community.’

Major General Julian Thompson, who led 3 Commando Brigade during the conflict, said: ‘I think that the cruise companies should stand up and say, “If you behave like that to us we’re not going to visit Argentina, we’ll close our office and the much needed revenue will go”.

‘They can put screws on the Argentinians bearing in mind their financial situation, the huge inflation and enormous amount of unemployment they’ve got.’

No one was available to comment at Government House in Buenos Aires and calls to Argentine Shipping Services were not returned.

[Ryan Ruck]

David Cameron Must Return Falklands To Argentina, Cristina Kirchner Demands In Open Letter

January 2, 2013

In an emotional open letter to the British prime minister, Cristina Kirchner, Argentina’s president, has called on him to honour a United Nations resolution dating from 1965 and start negotiations about handing over the islands.

The letter, which was due to be published in the British national newspaper The Guardian on Thursday, is timed to mark the anniversary of when on January 3 1833, Britain took control of the islands from the Argentinians.

The 212-word letter, copied to Ban Ki-moon, the secretary-general of the United Nations, repeatedly refers to the Falklands as the Malvinas, the Argentine Government’s Spanish name for the islands.

It says: “One hundred and eighty years ago on this same date, January 3rd, in a blatant exercises of 19th century colonialism, Argentina was forcibly stripped of the Malvinas Islands, which are situated 14,000 km (8,700 miles) away from London.

“The Argentines on the Islands were expelled by the Royal Navy and the United Kingdom subsequently began a population implantation process similar to that applied to other territories under colonial rule.

“Since then, Britain, the colonial power, has refused to return the territories to the Argentine Republic, thus preventing it from restoring its territorial integrity.

“The question of the Malvinas is also a cause embraced by Latin America and by vast majority of peoples and governments around the world that reject colonialism.

“In 1960, the United Nations proclaimed the necessity of ‘bringing to an end colonialism in all its forms and manifestations’.

“In 1965, the General Assembly adopted, with no votes against (not even by the United Kingdom), a resolution considered the Malvinas Islands a colonial case and inviting the two countries to negotiate a solution to the sovereignty dispute between them.

“This was followed by many other resolutions to that effect. In the name of the Argentine people, I reiterate our invitation for us to abide by the resolutions of the United Nations.”

The 3000-strong population of the Falklands are overwhelmingly pro-British. The islanders are due to be asked if they want to continue to be an overseas territory of the United Kingdom at a referendum in March this year. Mr Cameron has said the UK would “respect and defend” the result of the plebiscite.

Dr Barry Elsby, Member of the Legislative Assembly of the Falkland Islands, told The Daily Telegraph on Wednesday night: "We are not a colony – our relationship with the United Kingdom is by choice.

"Unlike the Government of Argentina, the United Kingdom respects the right of our people to determine our own affairs, a right that is enshrined in the UN Charter and which is ignored by Argentina."

Last night the Foreign Office said that it “strenuously denied” that Britain expelled Argentine citizens from the Falklands in 1833.

A spokesman said: “The people of the Falklands are British and have chosen to be so. They remain free to choose their own futures, both politically and economically, and have a right to self-determination as enshrined in the UN Charter.

“This is a fundamental human right for all peoples. There are three parties to this debate, not just two as Argentina likes to pretend. The Islanders can’t just be written out of history.

“As such, there can be no negotiations on the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands unless and until such time as the Islanders so wish.”

The diplomatic broadside follows the British government's decision last month to name a large frozen chunk of Antarctica after the Queen – a gesture viewed in Buenos Aires as provocative.

[Ryan Ruck]

Britain To Send More Troops To The Falklands To Counter 'Heightened' Invasion Threat From Argentina

Michael Fallon, the defence secretary, will announce plans to bolster the Falkland Islands garrison

March 24, 2015

Michael Fallon, the defence secretary, will announce plans to bolster the Falkland Islands garrison amid fears of a renewed threat from Argentina.

The south American nation is feared to be increasing military expenditure. Senior ministers in the country have also made a series of increasingly aggressive statements about the islands in recent years.

Michale Fallon said: "The threat remains. It is a very live threat. We have to respond to it."

He said reports that Russia is working on an agreement to lease 12 long-range bombers to Argentina which could be used to support a renewed attack are unconfirmed.

"We do need to modernise our defences to ensure that we have sufficient troops there and that the islands are properly defended in terms of air defence and maritime defence.

"The threat, of course, to the islands remains but so does our commitment to being absolutely clear that islanders have the right to remain British and the right to proper protection by our forces.

"It is our general view that the threat has not reduced. Argentina still, sadly, maintains its claim to the islands 30 or more years after the original invasion and the war and we have to respond to that."

A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence added: "There is a defence review and an announcement will be made about it. There will be a full statement by Michael Fallon."

Military analysts have previously argued that without an aircraft carrier, Harrier jump jets or the ability to deploy a task force, the islands could be seen as an easy target for Argentina.

Buenos Aires has intensified its claim since oil exploration began. In 2011 its president, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, called David Cameron "arrogant" for insisting the islands will remain British as long as their inhabitants wish to.

British oil company Rockhopper Exploration revealed significant discoveries of oil, which it says are enough oil to make the Falklands a significant production centre.

Arturo Puricelli, Argentina's defence minister, previously declared that British vessels were "contaminating" the south Atlantic and pledged to fight for the Falkland Islands, known in Argentina as the "Islas Malvinas".

Speaking on state TV, Puricelli said: "We don't want [the British] to come here to make this unnecessary show of military strength. We have no doubt at all that we are going to recover our Malvinas islands. The international community will support us."

The British government last year rejected calls to sit down with Argentina to negotiate sovereignty over the islands.

The 24-nation Decolonisation Committee passed a resolution calling on Britain and Argentina to negotiate a solution to the dispute over the south Atlantic archipelago, essentially favouring Argentina’s stance in the two-century old dispute.

"The UK’s position on the UN’s decolonisation process is well-known. We regret that the UN Decolonisation Committee continues with its outdated approach,” said a Foreign Office spokesman at the time.

[Ryan Ruck]

As Oil and Gas Discovered in Falklands Argentina Goes Back on the Offensive

April 4, 2015

Revelations made by American defector Edward Snowden have delivered another lever to the politics of grief and victimisation spun by the Argentine government over the Falkland Islands, after he claimed they had been the focus of British spies.

Documents released by the former NSA employee said the Argentine government had been monitored by Britain between 2006 and 2011 over concerns they were planning an attempt to retake the Falkland Islands, which they unsuccessfully invaded in 1982. The observation of the nation came against a background of intense sabre-rattling over the Islands, as Argentina moved to distract its people from a deteriorating economic picture.

The documents, as reported by several Argentine newspapers and the Daily Mail suggested as well as the observation, the British government also spread seditious propaganda and infected Argentine computers with viruses.

The news comes amid a difficult week for Argentina, as British interests discovered significant oil and gas reserves in the water around the Islands almost exactly 33 years after the failed Argentine invasion. The Argentine government reacted almost immediately by stating they still considered the waters around what they call ‘Las Malvinas’ to be their territory, and would therefore prosecute anyone undertaking what they consider to be illegal works.

Breitbart London reported last month on the deteriorating security situation in the Falklands, with the British secretary of state for defence announcing that reinforcements would be posted to the Island. Speculation has been raging since last year that Argentina would be receiving long-range fighter-bombers from Russia in return for deliveries of beef and grain.