Cristina Kirchner: Give us back the Malvinas Islands
David Cameron must return Falklands to Argentina, Cristina Kirchner demands in open letter
The letter
Excerpt:
Mr Prime Minister David Cameron,
One hundred and eighty years ago on the same date, January 3rd, in a blatant exercise of 19th-century colonialism, Argentina was forcibly stripped of the Malvinas Islands, which are situated 14,000km (8700 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.Comment: The problem is that the 3000 residents of the Falklands consider themselves British.
Response: David Cameron will “do everything to protect the interests of the Falkland Islanders”, Downing Street said today.
ReplyDeleteDr Barry Elsby, Member of the Legislative Assembly of the Falkland Islands, told The Daily Telegraph: “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 which is ignored by Argentina.”
The problem:
The commitment from Downing Street comes despite repeated warnings from ex-admirals that Britain might not have the military capability to liberate the Falklands if Argentina mounted an invasion, similar to that of 1982.