The President of Argentina. Photocredit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/expectativaonline/3604529765/sizes/z/in/photostream/
Argentina is going to lodge a complaint with the United Nations about the United Kingdom’s apparent “militarisation” of the Falklands Islands, adding to tensions between the two countries. Argentina calls the Falklands “Las Malvinas”; it is thirty years since the Falklands War, when Argentina invaded the islands, and the country is looking towards the tiny, British-affiliated country once more. The UK has deployed a destroyer to the region, reported the BBC, whilst Prince William is there in his role as a search and rescue pilot. Typically, both countries are accusing each other of using the islands as a way of deflecting interest from internal issues. Britain has consistently argued that it is up to the Falklanders to decided their own fate; polls show a majority of Britons agree, and also suggest that most Brits think that the islands are “worth defending”, said The Huffington Post.
Why all the fuss? Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, the President of Argentina, has been particularly focused on the islands recently – not just because of the anniversary, but because of the potential oil resources that are out there. Four exploration wells are currently being drilled – and there may be 500 billion barrels worth there. The Irish Times quoted Rory Stewart MP: “They will be saying that we have a chance to get our hands on this oil. The revenue would not go to the United Kingdom, it would go to the Falkland islands. But if it becomes a sort of Gulf state, a sort of Kuwait with penguins, we expect people will really start making noises.”
So what does the complaint mean? Well the BBC took the line that it was “extremely unlikely” that Argentina would gain a “legally binding outcome” from its protest. The country has also not shown that it wants to take the matter any further.
What are the Brits doing? David Cameron, the British Prime Minister, has refused to start talking about sovereignty with Argentina unless the islanders want it. ““As long as the people in the Falkland Islands want to maintain that status, we will make sure they do and we will defend the Falkland Islands properly to make sure that is the case,” he said.
What do the islanders think? The Irish Times reported that the Falklands Islanders had been “enjoying one of their most optimistic periods.” They had good money from fishing rights, they were started to explore for oil, and there were plenty of jobs. The islanders “believe the tensions will pass once the anniversaries of the invasion are over.” The Falklanders believe that the Argentines have “behaved with bad faith”, breaking all agreements to do with sea travel and oil exploration.
“Once again Agentina is in trouble and this is a way of saving face with its people,” said Des Wallington, a Falklands veteran, quoted on The Northamptonshire Telegraph.
President a bitch? Meanwhile, the Falklands’ newspaper – delightfully called The Penguin News – has come under fire from Argentinians. The paper uploaded a picture of the Argentine president, Kirchner; those who downloaded it found that the photo had been labelled “bitch”, reported The Guardian. Thousands of Argentine readers hurled comments at the paper, which serve the island’s population of 3,000.
Not really. The paper’s editor, Lisa Watson, immediately took the photograph down, and apologised for her colleagues’ “dry humor.” She told The Guardian: “I receive threats and insults via our work email address and on Twitter. … Mainly I am referred to as a prostitute, liar, thief and pirate, other words I really wouldn’t like to mention.” She also said that islanders are receiving “random calls” from Argentinians who scream abuse down the phone; and that she had “no objection” to dialog with the Argentinians. She only hoped that they would understand that the Falklands “deserve to be allowed to live in peace.” She stressed that she had received messages of support from Argentinians as well.
One Argentinian tweeted on Lisa Watson’s feed: “andreslicari Andres @Lisafalklands You stupid cunt we will get the islands back, go back to the shit hole where you belong you disgusting piece of rat shit!” Another said “Hello!, I born in Argentina my english is not really good, but I like to say the people of my country do not hate islanders.”
What it’s really like. The Mirror ran a piece explaining what the Islands were really like. The population, it said, is 61 percent Falkland Islanders (mostly of British descent), 29 per cent British, and the rest Chilean and other. The climate is “similar to that of the UK” but less rainy; and the island is a British Overseas Territory “by choice” – it’s self-governing. There aren’t any cash points, and you’d be hard pressed to find a McDonalds. There’s hardly any crime (there are four people in the prison). So Argentina postures aggressively; Britain pledges defence; and the islanders continue their lives, hoping for peace.