Islas Malvinas: EU Signs Deal Using Falklands’ Argentine Name

THE GUARDIAN: UK asks bloc to clarify position after Buenos Aires declare ‘triumph’ over use of term in declaration

The Falkland Islands. An EU official reportedly told the FT: ‘[The UK is] upset by the word Malvinas. If they were in the EU perhaps they would have pushed back against it.’ Photograph: Cathal McNaughton/PA
Forty-one years after the Falklands war, the UK has suffered a diplomatic defeat over the archipelago as the EU appeared to endorse the Argentine name for the disputed territory, Islas Malvinas.

Brussels supported an Argentina-backed declaration referring to Islas Malvinas at a summit of EU leaders with Latin America and the Caribbean (Celac) leaders on Tuesday, which Buenos Aires called a “diplomatic triumph”.

On Wednesday, British diplomats requested that the European Council president, Charles Michel, “clarify” the bloc’s position. » | Nadeem Badshah | Thursday, July 20, 2023

Brexit, the gift that keeps on giving. – Mark

British Sovereignty over the Falklands Is an Absurd Imperial Hangover That Must End

THE GUARDIAN – OPINION: Forty years after the war in the South Atlantic, common sense demands a negotiated settlement with Argentina

Port Stanley, Falkland Islands. ‘In 2012 it was estimated that British taxpayers paid more than £20,000 per islander for defence alone.’ Photograph: Marcos Brindicci/Reuters
This April is the 40th anniversary of the start of the Falklands war. Less well known is that it is the 41st anniversary of a final attempt by the British government to concede sovereignty over the islands to the enemy in that war, Argentina. Negotiations in New York were in progress, aimed at securing self-government for the islands under a long lease from Argentina. Had they succeeded, it could have avoided war, resolved an archaic imperial dispute, and brought the islanders peace with their neighbours.

This was not to be. The talks ran into opposition both on the islands and on the Tory backbenches in London. At the same time a belligerent military regime under General Galtieri seized power in Buenos Aires and had other ideas. In April 1982, the regime took the islands by force, only to be driven from them by a British taskforce two months later. No peace deal was reached and the Falklands became an embattled fortress in the South Atlantic, with troops, jets and warships on permanent station.

The war cost Britain about £2.8bn (£9.5bn in present value) and the islands’ defence costs upwards of £60m annually. In 2012 it was estimated that British taxpayers paid more than £20,000 per islander for defence alone, and approximately one-third of the population worked for the government. Unlike other former colonies such as Gibraltar, relations with the nearest nation-state are thin. Though living in a technically autonomous British overseas territory, the islanders are wholly dependent on Britain. » | Simon Jenkins | Thursday, April 7, 2022

Pope Francis Poses with 'Dialogue for Malvinas' Sign

THE TELEGRAPH: Pope Francis poses with a propaganda sign calling for "dialogue" between Britain and Argentina

Pope Francis has posed with a propaganda poster backing Argentina's call for dialogue with Britain over the Falkland Islands.

The move risked angering residents of both the Falklands and Britain, which has always considered its sovereignty over the islands beyond question.

The Argentine pontiff, who has previously refused to get involved in the disagreement, was visited at the Vatican by an activist from the "Dialogue for Malvinas" campaign.

The activist presented the Pope with a sign reading: "It's time for Argentina and Britain to discuss the Falklands."

Britain and the Falkland Islanders have long rejected calls for dialogue, with the argument that there is nothing to discuss.

The islanders voted overwhelmingly to remain British in a March 2013 referendum. Read on and comment » | Harriet Alexander | Wednesday, August 19, 2015

Sabre-rattling Putin Signs Anti-UK Military Pact with Argentina over Falklands

The two leaders exchange documents at a signing
ceremony in the Kremlin

DAILY EXPRESS: ARGENTINA'S president has praised Russian support for her country's claim of sovereignty over the Falkland Islands, risking a fresh diplomatic spat with the UK.

Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, on a two-day visit to Moscow, thanked Vladimir Putin for his “support” on the issue.

The UK and Argentina have been engaged in a bitter dispute over the Falkland Islands, a British overseas territory in the south-west Atlantic Ocean, focusing on who should exercise control over the land.

She said: “We thank Russia for the support it has historically provided in the Malvinas question, in having the resolutions of the United Nations observed so the United Kingdom resolves to sit in the table to dialogue."

While Mr Putin added: “Russia supports Argentina's striving for direct talks with Britain to achieve prompt resolution to the Malvinas Islands dispute.”

In a direct challenge to the UK and stability in the region, the Russian president also announced the two countries would be increasing “military collaboration”. » | Tom Batchelor | Friday, April 24, 2015

UN Committee 'Backs Argentina' Over Falkands Dispute

The ownership of the Falkland Islands has been
disputed for nearly 200 years

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Decolonisation Committee approves new resolution urging UK and Argentina to negotiate a solution, despite 99 per cent of residents voting to remain as they are

A UN committee has approved a new resolution calling on Britain and Argentina to negotiate a solution to their dispute over the Falkland Islands, essentially favoring Argentina's stance in the nearly 200-year-old feud.

The 24-nation Decolonisation Committee passed the resolution by consensus despite passionate speeches from a pair of Falkland Islands representatives arguing the most islanders want to keep things as they are. The decision showed that the committee members have been largely unmoved by a referendum in the Falkland Islands last year in which more than 99 percent of voters favored remaining a British Overseas Territory.

Britain has rebuffed Argentina's calls to negotiate the sovereignty of the wind-swept south Atlantic archipelago, saying it is up to the islands to decide.

Argentinian Foreign Minister Hector Timerman railed at Britain for ignoring dozens of UN resolutions urging the two countries to sit down and talk.

"It is imperative that the United Kingdom sits down again at the negotiating table," Mr Timerman said. » | Fiona Govan in Madrid | Thursday, June 26, 2014

Argentine Militant Groups Threaten Princess Royal Over Falklands

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The Princess Royal has been threatened by militant Argentinian groups as she begins the first official senior royal engagement to the South American country for 14 years.

The three-day visit is being made in Princess Anne's capacity as a member of the International Olympic Committee.

She will attend the opening ceremony of the 125th session of the International Olympic Committee at the Theatre Colon in Buenos Aires this evening.

Protest group Quebracho – which led riots against the British Embassy in Buenos Aires last April – has vowed to disrupt proceedings, claiming it will be able to enter the theatre.

Leader Toni Lopez said: "Come pirate princess Anne of England, daughter of Elizabeth II, the Queen, who ordered the attack on Falklands in 1982. Come if you believe you can walk through Argentina as usual. » | Telegraph’s Foreign Staff | Friday, September 06, 2013

Related »

Spain Offers Argentina Falklands Support

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Spain has offered Argentina its support in seeking to win control of the Falklands from Britain, likening the dispute to the Gibraltar conflict.

Jose [sic] Manuel Garcia-Margallo, Spain's foreign minister, compared his country's battle to get Britain to surrender sovereignty over Gibraltar – a small, rocky outpost ruled by Britain for three centuries – with Argentina's demand for control of the Falklands Islands.

"The similarities are enormous," Mr Garcia-Margallo said from Montevideo, Uruguay adding that both Gibraltar and Falklands were in need of "decolonisation."

Argentina is embroiled in an escalating diplomatic row with Britain over the Falkland Islands, the object of a brief, bloody 1982 war which Buenos Aires lost.

Mr Garcia-Margallo added that Argentina "can count on Spain's support" in its effort to regain control of the Falklands. » | AFP | Thursday, September 05, 2013

David Cameron Is 'Stupid' Says Argentine Diplomat

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Argentina's ambassador to Britain has described David Cameron as "dumb" and "stupid" in his handling of the Falklands Islands dispute.

Alicia Castro, who is a close political ally of President Cristina Kirchner, told Argentina's Senate Foreign Relations Committee that Mr Cameron had been ill advised in mentioning Pope Francis's thoughts on the Falklands.

"We had the extraordinary good fortune to have an Argentinian pope, and one who supports our claim to the islands," she said. Pope Francis, known as Jorge Bergoglio when he was Archbishop of Buenos Aires, said in 2012 that the islands had been "usurped" by Britain.

"When the pope was named I asked one of our people to look into what Bergoglio had said regarding the Malvinas," she said, referring to the Falklands by their Spanish name. "Cameron did the same and was stupid enough to disseminate the information."

Mr Cameron, she said, was an "inefficient" politician for addressing the Falklands question in this way. » | Harriet Alexander | Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Gibraltar: Spain Considers Joint Diplomatic Offensive with Argentina over Falkland Islands

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Spain is considering forging an anti-British alliance with Argentina, adopting its strategy over the Falklands Islands, as the diplomatic row over Gibraltar intensifies

Spanish foreign minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo will use a trip to Buenos Aires next month to raise the possibility of forging a joint diplomatic offensive with the South American country over the disputed territories, sources told Spain's El Pais newspaper.

Spain's foreign ministry was also discussing whether to take its complaints over Gibraltar to the United Nations, the newspaper reported on Sunday.

The sources did not specify whether Spain would ask the UN to back a request for Britain to give up sovereignty or just adhere to certain agreements.

It could take its petition to the Security Council or take up the matter with the UN General Assembly.

Spain is also considering the option of denouncing Gibraltar to the International Court of Justice in the Hague for its "illegal occupation" of the isthmus - the strip of land connecting the peninsula to the mainland that was not included in the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht. » | Fiona Govan, Madrid | Sunday, August 11, 2013

Falklands Will Be Under Our Control Within 20 Years, Says Argentina

THE GUARDIAN: Argentinian foreign minister rules out military solution but says 'not one single country' supports UK right to govern islands

The Falklands Islands will be under Argentinian control within 20 years, the South American country's foreign minister, Héctor Timerman, has said in an interview with the Guardian.

Visiting London for the first time, he ruled out a military solution to the 130-year-old sovereignty dispute but claimed the world increasingly recognised that the islands were a product of colonialism. He accused the British government of being motivated by a fanatical desire to hold on to the islands and claimed "the United Kingdom has never missed an opportunity to miss an opportunity to find a solution for the Malvinas".

He said: "I don't think it will take another 20 years. I think that the world is going through a process of understanding more and more that this is a colonial issue, an issue of colonialism, and that the people living there were transferred to the islands."

He vowed that the interests of the existing islanders would be protected under Argentinian rule, including "their way of life, their language and right to remain British citizens". But he drew a distinction between the islanders' interests, which could be met, and their wishes, which could not. » | Patrick Wintour, political editor | Tuesday, February 05, 2013

Argentina Turns to Wales for Help with Falkland Islands
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Argentina has held talks with Welsh nationalists about trying to win support among British MPs for the country's bid to win sovereignty over the Falkland Islands.

Diplomats from the Argentinian embassy in London invited senior representatives from Plaid Cymru for talks in the past six months.

Elfyn Llwyd MP, the Westminster leader of the Welsh nationalist Plaid Cymru party, met two senior Argentinian diplomats for coffee.

Mr Llwyd confirmed the meeting had taken place, but he said he firmly rebuffed the approach to join Argentina’s campaign.

He told The Daily Telegraph that he had “no interest” in helping the South American country with its battle to win support for its claim to the islands.

He said: "I expressed no interest in getting involved in this fraught matter. They were trying to get me to introduce them to sympathetic MPs." Read on and comment » | Christopher Hope, Senior Political Correspondent | Wednesday, June 20, 2012

David Cameron and Argentina's Cristina Kirchner in Corridor Clash Over Falklands
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: David Cameron was involved in an extraordinary confrontation with Argentinian President Cristina Kirchner at the G20 Summit in Mexico as she attempted to hand documents to the Prime Minister related to the Falkland Islands.

The two leaders are understood to have met unexpectedly in a corridor on the fringes of the G20 Summit and exchanged words.

Some reports indicated it was Mr Cameron who sought out President Kirchner. He told her that she should "respect the views" of Falkland residents who have announced they are to hold a referendum on the issue of control of the islands.

Mrs Kirchner attempted to hand an envelope to Mr Cameron but he refused to accept it. Héctor Timerman, the Argentinian foreign minister, said: "Nation states have the obligation to talk. We prepared an envelope containing various papers, but the British Primer Minister refused to receive it.

"Britain continues to refuse to talk. And what surprised me most was that David Cameron did not go to the UN decolonisation meeting on Thursday." » | Jonathan Gilbert, Buenos Aires | Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Argentina's President Renews Claim to Falkland Islands
THE GUARDIAN: Cristina Fernández de Kirchner marks 30th anniversary of end of Falklands war by attempting to reopen sovereignty talks

Argentina's president is pressing her country's claim to the Falkland Islands with a high-profile appearance before a little-known United Nations committee on the 30th anniversary of the end of the war.

Cristina Fernández de Kirchner's attendance on Thursday at the annual meeting of the UN decolonisation committee is the first by a head of state, and she [is] bringing dozens of supporters with her. By contrast, the Falkland Islands will be represented by two members of the legislative assembly, accompanied by six young islanders.

Argentina claims Britain has illegally occupied the islands they call the Islas Malvinas since 1833. Britain disputes Argentina's claim to the islands and says Argentina ignores the wishes of the island's 3,000 residents who have expressed a desire to remain British. Argentina maintains that the residents do not have the unilateral right to decide what they want the islands to be.

The clash over the islands flared into war in 1982 when Argentina's then-military dictatorship invaded.

Fernandez asked the 24-member decolonisation committee to schedule the annual discussion of the Falkland Islands' status on Thursday's anniversary of Britain's victory that ended the 74-day conflict. » | Associated Press | Thursday, June 14, 2012

Falklandkrieg: "Heute hätten wir keine Chance mehr"
DIE PRESSE: Am 14. Juni 1982 endete der Krieg um die Falklandinseln mit der Kapitulation Argentiniens. Admiral Sir John "Sandy" Woodward, Befehlshaber der Schlachtflotte der Royal Navy, sprach mit der „Presse".

Admiral Sir John Forster „Sandy" Woodward war 1982, als Konteradmiral, Befehlshaber jener Schlachtflotte der Royal Navy, die geschickt wurde, um die am 2. April 1982 von argentinischen Truppen besetzten Falklandinseln (Spanisch: Islas Malvinas), seit 1833 britische Außenbesitzung im Südatlantik, zurückzuerobern. Am 21. Mai landeten bei Port San Carlos auf Ostfalkland britische Landstreitkräfte, die Argentinier gaben am 14. Juni nach heftigen Kämpfen und etwa 900 Toten auf beiden Seiten auf. Heute lebt Woodward (80) in dem pittoresken südenglischen Dorf Bosham nahe Portsmouth in einem alten Fischerhaus haarscharf an der Wasserlinie - jeden Tag schwappt dort die Flut an dessen Außenmauern, zieht sich wieder zurück und hinterlässt schräg im Sand liegende Boote. Dort sprach er mit der „Presse" über den Krieg, seine taktischen Lehren und Grausamkeiten, das Leben danach, den heutigen Zustand der Royal Navy und Margaret Thatcher. » | Von Wolfgang Greber (Die Presse) | Mittwoch, 13. Juni 2012

Incredible! Simply Incredible! Talk about Double Standards! Falkland Islands Plan Referendum 'To Send a Message to Argentina'
The Falkland Islands has announced a referendum to be held next year on its status as a British territory in an effort to fend off aggressive Argentinian claims over the South Atlantic islands.

Read the article and comment here | Damien McElroy, Foreign Affairs Correspondent | Tuesday, June 12, 2012