Falklands to hold a Referendum

Britain has controlled the islands since 1833 but Argentina claims it inherited rights to them in 1863
3:34pm UK, Tuesday June 12, 2012

The Falkland Islands are to hold a referendum on their "political status" in a bid to end the continuing dispute with Argentina over their sovereignty.
The vote will be held in 2013, the Falklands government said.

The announcement comes amid increasing tensions between Britain and Argentina over the disputed territory, which the South American country calls Las Malvinas.

Britain has controlled the islands since 1833, but Argentina claims it inherited rights to them from Spain upon its declaration of independence in 1863.

UK Foreign Secretary William Hague said: "The British Government has been consistent in its view that the future of the Falklands can only be determined by the people who live there.

"So the Prime Minister and I support this initiative to demonstrate - without doubt - the definitive view of the Falkland Islands people.

"In a region that rightly prizes democracy and human rights, it is entirely appropriate that the Islanders can express this fundamental right. The principle of self-determination is a key part of the United Nations charter.

"The voice of the Falkland Islands people should be heard. I hope very much that Argentina, and indeed the whole of the international community, joins the UK in listening carefully to what they have to say."

More follows ...

This is highly significant because there is Oil at stake. Argentina has recently sacked Repsol and flexed it's muscles over the Falklands which I am sure
it would not do so, but for the Oil. If the Falklanders vote in favour of Independence from both Britain and Argentina it will need both Countries ro agree
to this . Otherwise, I suspect a delve into Historical Archives by an Independent Country to settle this issue once and for all.

5:38am UK, Thursday June 14, 2012

Hannah Thomas-Peter, US reporter

On the 30th anniversary of the end of the Falklands war, Argentina’s president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner will travel to the UN in New York to reassert her country’s claim to sovereignty over the islands.

She will attend a usually low key annual meeting of the UN’s Decolonisation Committee, reportedly with around 90 delegates.

It is the first time a head of state has shown up in person.

The UK refuses to participate in the 29-country committee, but two of the Falkland Islands’ four legislative assembly members, Roger Edwards and Mike Summers, will be there to speak.


We’re very happy to be British, very happy to have the support of the British government, and we hope for that to continue in the future.

Michael Poole
Mr Edwards told Sky News Online: "My message to President Cristina Fernández and the government of Argentina is that we, the people of the Falkland Islands, have a right to determine our own future.

"It is chapter one of the United Nations Charter and it is the basic human right of all people."

Mr Edwards confirmed he would try to hand a formal letter to the Argentine delegation at the meeting, but admitted he did not know if she would receive it.

Mr Edwards and Mr Summers will be accompanied by a delegation of six younger Falkland Islanders.

One of them, Michael Poole, told Sky News Online that the 3,000 people living there had already chosen to be a UK territory, and they were fed up of Argentina's bogus claims.



Ban Ki-moon has appealed to Britain and Argentina to avoid an escalation of the sovereignty battle

He said: "We’re very happy to be British, very happy to have the support of the British government, and we hope for that to continue in the future."

UN diplomats have described President Fernández’s decision to come to New York as "odd".

The committee she’s speaking at has little political influence and tends to issue the same call every year: for all sides to open negotiations about the status of the Falkland Islands.

It is a call the UK will reject, just as it rejects the premise of the meeting in the first place.

Diplomats have also suggested President Fernández is ratcheting up tension over the Falklands as a way of distracting from her own domestic political problems.

Her government has accused the UK of "militarizing" the South Atlantic by sending a destroyer to the region and deploying Prince William on a tour of duty to the Islands.

Four months ago Argentina's Foreign Minister Hector Timerman called the islands "the last refuge of a declining empire".

UN leader Ban Ki-moon appealed to both sides to avoid an "escalation" of their sovereignty battle at such a sensitive time.

The UK has accused Argentina of trying to impose an economic blockade on the Falklands by making shipping and flying to and from the islands more difficult, and for declaring UK companies exploring for oil nearby "illegal".

On Tuesday the Falklands government announced it would be holding a referendum on the Islands’ political status next year, aiming to bring to an end the dispute over what the people living there want.

3:36am UK, Friday June 15, 2012

People have braved snow and strong winds in Port Stanley to mark the 30th anniversary of the end of the Falkands war, as Argentina went to the United Nations over its sovereignty claim.
The streets of Port Stanley were decorated with British and Falklands flags for the anniversary, as Argentina's President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner demanded talks with London over sovereignty of the British-ruled islands in her UN speech.

"The celebration of liberation is the most important event of the year," hotel owner Alex Olmedo said

The festivities in Port Stanley were full of reflection and expectations for the future ahead of a planned referendum in 2013 on the political status of the oil-rich islands.

"This is an opportunity for Falkland Islanders to celebrate our continued freedom to live as we determine for ourselves and to look forward to a bright and confident future," resident Graham Didlick said.



Ban Ki-Moon has appealed to Britain and Argentina to avoid an escalation of the sovereignty battle

Foreign Office Minister Jeremy Browne, who attended the Port Stanley service, said Falklanders had a "fundamental right" to "decide their own destiny."

However, President Fernandez de Kirchner said in her speech to the UN's Decolonisation Committee: "We are not asking anyone to say yes, the Malvinas belong to Argentina.

"We are asking no more, no less than to sit down and talk."

She sat stony-faced through speeches by two Falklands representatives who complained about Argentina's "bullying" tactics.

Mrs Fernandez de Kirchner also held talks with UN leader Ban Ki-Moon who "reiterated that his good offices to resolve this dispute remain available if the parties are willing to engage," UN spokesman Martin Nesirky said.



A memorial service was held in Port Stanley to mark the war's end

Britain has insisted however that it will not discuss sovereignty as long as the 3,000 people on the wind-swept islands want to remain under the British flag.

Prime Minister David Cameron vowed that Britain would fight off any "aggression from over the water" in a London tribute to the war dead.

"When it comes to the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands, there will be absolutely no negotiation," he said.

"This is not some game of global monopoly, with nations passing a territory between them. It's about the islanders determining their own future."

The 30th anniversary of the surrender of Argentine forces on the Falklands Islands has failed to stir the country's media commentators.

Many newspapers report on President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner's planned address on the "Malvinas" to the UN Decolonisation Committee, but little opinion on the Islands' sovereignty is expressed.

For her part, Ms Fernandez launched an international media campaign affirming Argentina's claims on the Islands. In an advertisement that was seen in British, Indian and Russian newspapers, Ms Fernandez called upon the UK government to enter negotiations and "give peace a chance".

The announcement that a referendum on the Island's future sovereignty would be held in 2013 was reported widely, with the tone suggesting that the result would favour the UK.

The anniversary also failed to animate users of the microblogging site Twitter. While a moderate number of tweets containing the word "Malvinas" were posted, the story was not among the 10 most popular topics in Argentina or wider South America.

Press

Ms Fernandez's planned meeting with the UN decolonisation committee was prominently reported, but coverage was largely factual - with little opinion expressed.

President Fernandez commemorated Argentine war dead during a ceremony in April
Popular dailies Clarin and La Nacion have run a series of reports in the lead up to the anniversary featuring sombre accounts from veterans of the conflict. One Clarin article was headlined "I was relieved and I'm not ashamed," which quoted an Argentine soldier recalling his feelings upon hearing news of the surrender.

La Nacion also published a review of UK press coverage of the anniversary and a short story on the flying of the Falkland Islands' flag over 10 Downing Street. Clarin prominently featured a report on Prime Minister David Cameron welcoming the referendum on the Islands' future sovereignty.

Left-wing daily Pagina 12 offered very little coverage of the anniversary, save for a cartoon by Danial Paz suggesting that the result of the referendum was very likely to please Mr Cameron. The tabloid Cronica quoted a report from French news agency AFP, adding a headline which described the Prime Minister as a "pirate".

One opinion piece appeared on the pro-Fernandez website InfoNews. In the article, entitled "Your people do not surrender, Malvinas," the writer, Jorge Giles, described a 2003 meeting between former Argentine President Nestor Kirchner and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair in London during which the issue of the Islands' sovereignty was raised for the first time in the "colonial house".

By Giles' account, at that moment: "English breathing stopped. Diplomacy stopped. The time of forgetting stopped".

Noting that President Fernandez will be accompanied by families of fallen Falklands veterans and politicians from across the political spectrum in her meeting with the decolonisation committee, he said: "For the first time this constant defence of our sovereignty is part of a national, popular and democratic government."

Twitter

The anniversary has received moderate attention among Twitter users in South America. Use of the word "Malvinas" gradually increased in the seven days leading up to the anniversary, and it was one of the 30 most used words in tweets from Argentina on the day itself.

The Falklands flag flying over 10 Downing Street did not escape the notice of microbloggers
The majority of tweets referred to President Kirchner's address to the decolonisation council, often containing a link to a news story, but rarely any opinion. The news that the flag of Falkland Islands was flying over 10 Downing Street became popular later in the day.

Perhaps surprisingly given the media campaign mentioned above, President Fernandez's official twitter feed has yet to mention the anniversary. Her last reference to the Islands came on 25 May where she thanked the state of Angola for its support on the issue.

Early in the day, a regularly retweeted message came from user Cecy Maya (over 3,700 followers) who affirmed Argentina's claim on the islands, and described the "English" as "pirates".

A message from Buenos Aires-based rapper Emanero (@emanero, over 3,200 followers) which suggested that the UK trade the Falklands back in return for the Argentine weather was also shared among users.

After Argentina, the country where the topic was most discussed was Venezuela, bolstered by recent comments on the Islands by politicians Roy Chaderton the Ambassador to the Organisation of American States (OAS).

Chaderton's assertion that South Americans were "fed up" with imperialism and that the UK was protecting its "financial interests" in the Falklands were popular topics on the micro-blogging site among Venezuelans.

In Brazil, journalist Francisco Barreira (over 13,000 followers) said: "The Malvinas are Argentine. And symbols of the solidarity and unity of South America." The story was also discussed to a lesser extent in Chile and Mexico.

15 June 2012 Last updated at 01:12 Share this pageEmail Print Share this page

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.

David Cameron: "When it comes to sovereignty, there will be absolutely no negotiation"
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'
Continue reading the main story
The Falklands War

2 April 1982: Argentine forces invade Falkland Islands. Other British South Atlantic territories including South Georgia are seized shortly afterwards
5 April: A British task force of more than 100 ships sets sail for the South Atlantic
25 April: South Georgia is recaptured by British forces.
2 May: Argentine cruiser General Belgrano sunk by HMS Conqueror, killing more than 320
21 May: Three thousand British troops begin landing at San Carlos on East Falkland
28-29 May: British forces recapture Goose Green.
8 June: British landing craft are bombed at Fitzroy, killing more than 50 men
13 June: Argentine positions on mountains overlooking the capital Port Stanley are taken
14 June: Argentine forces surrender. British troops march into Stanley
255 British servicemen and three Falklands civilians died during the conflict. The number of Argentine dead is estimated at about 650

Argentine media subdued
The Falklands War: Timeline

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.
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19 June 2012 Last updated at 23:58 Share this pageEmail Print Share this page


UK Prime Minister David Cameron has confronted the Argentine president over her country's continued claim to the Falklands Islands.

He spoke to President Cristina Fernandez before the first session of the G20 summit, No 10 said.

The prime minister told Ms Fernandez de Kirchner she should "respect the views" of islanders who are taking part in a referendum on the issue of control.

The islands are marking 30 years since the end of the war with Argentina.

Both leaders are at the G20 summit taking place in Los Cabos, Mexico, though there are no formal talks between the two countries on the agenda.

Downing Street confirmed the two leaders met "in the margins" before the opening session got under way.

'No negotiation'

Mr Cameron approached Ms Fernandez, and told her: "I am not proposing a full discussion now on the Falklands but I hope you have noted that they are holding a referendum and you should respect their views.

"We should believe in self determination and act as democrats here in the G20."

Aides said Mr Cameron gave a "clear and calm message" which he repeated three times as his words were interpreted into Spanish. Ms Fernandez is said to have responded with "ramblings".

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Read more from Nick

Ms Fernandez then appeared to show Mr Cameron a letter which BBC political editor Nick Robinson said outlined UN Resolution 40/21 of November 1985, which requests both governments to negotiate a "peaceful" resolution to the Falklands dispute. At that point, Mr Cameron walked away.

The prime minister later told reporters that he made his point "with vigour".

A Downing Street official later said that Ms Fernandez did not try to hand the document to Mr Cameron.

"We don't need an envelope from Fernandez to know what the UN resolutions say.... All the UN resolutions do refer to the UN charter, which enshrines the principle of self-determination and that is what we are asking the Argentines to respect," the official said.

Last week the Falklands marked 30 years since the end of the war with Argentina with a service at Liberation Monument. It followed a service at Port Stanley's cathedral to remember the UK's liberation of the UK territory from Argentine occupation on 14 June 1982.

Buenos Aires has sought to use the 30th anniversary of the war to revive its claim on the islands it calls the Malvinas.

Last Thursday at the UN, Argentina's president questioned the UK's sovereignty over the Falklands, but Mr Cameron said there would be "no negotiation" on the issue.

'Important conversation'

Speaking at a press conference after the incident on Tuesday, Mr Cameron denied that it had been a stunt to please UK voters.

"I just think it was an important conversation to have. This referendum is something of a game-changer for the issue and I think it's good it's coming about," he said.

The BBC's Caroline Wyatt on events to mark the end of the war in the Falklands
"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 their supporters to look again at this issue and recognise that the people of these islands should be able to determine their own future.

"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."

In a speech to a business audience in summit venue Los Cabos, the prime minister singled out Argentina for criticism for protectionist trade measures which he identified as one of the five key threats to the world economy.

He cited the case of the nationalisation earlier this year of oil company YPF, which is largely owned by Spanish firm Repsol.

"We have to do better than this. We all know that keeping the world economy open, keeping the trade rules fair, is absolutely vital for all our countries.

"And frankly, the G20 should be setting an example, not providing an example for the world not to follow