Argentina's mad president, Cristina Kirchner, has accused the Royal Navy of behaving like pirates and accused Britain of behaving like an imperial power when it comes to the Falkland Islands.
On Twitter, Kirchner - hated by Falkland Islanders - criticised the MoD over plans to carry out military tests in the region and has complained to the UN about the "militarisation of the South Atlantic."
"Serious, very serious," Mrs Kirchner wrote. "Royal Navy, occupying colonial force in Falkland Islands, reports military exercise with missiles on the coast of East Falkland.
"Typical nineteenth century colonialism. Anachronistic use of force in violation of international law. They do not care. A clear example of double standards."
But Britain has expressed its surprising over why Kirchner is suddenly mentioning these military tests - Britain has been performing them since 1982.
By bringing up the Falkland Islands, Kirchner must be suffering in the polls. It's common for an Argentinian leader to try and drum up support amongst the people by bringing up the topic of the Falklands Islands, as Argentina's brutal military dictator General Galtieri did back in the early 80s which eventually lead to Argentina invading the islands in 1982 and Britain having to kick them out (the Argies can actually thank Britain for this because Galtieri's defeat in that war led to his downfall and Argentina eventually becoming a democracy).
But Kirchner can protest all she wants about perceived "typical nineteenth century colonialism" as the Falkland Islands most definitely are NOT going to become Argentinian anytime soon (or at all).
Apart from the fact that Britain first came into possession of the islands in 1765, fifty years BEFORE Argentina even became an independent nation, the vast majority of the Falkland Islanders wish to be under British, not Argentinean, rule. Which means that, according to UN rules, it is right and democratic that the islands are under British rule.
In a disgusting incident earlier this year, an Argentinian military ship confronted a Falklands trawler and accused it of fishing illegally, with the crew of the Argie ship demanding to know the details of the trawler's crew. This is despite the fact the trawler was several miles inside Falkland Islands waters (the Royal Navy wouldn't have been pleased if the Argies tried shooting at the fishermen).
In 2009, the Falkland Islands accused Argentina over remaining "in a time warp."
Maybe Kirchner is miffed at the sight of the Falkland Islands competing at this year's Commonwealth Games.
Royal Navy are pirates, says Argentina's president
By Jon Swaine in New York
10 Oct 2010
The Telegraph
Argentina's president, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, attacked the Navy over Twitter Photo: EPA
The president of Argentina has described the Royal Navy as pirates and accused the British government of behaving like an imperial power with regard to the Falkland Islands.
Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner used Twitter, the micro-blogging website, to sharply criticise plans by the Ministry of Defence to carry out military tests in the region. In a series of frank postings on her official Twitter account, she announced that Argentina had complained to the United Nations about Britain's "militarisation of the South Atlantic".
The Falkland Islands - They're ours, Argies
"Serious, very serious," Mrs Kirchner wrote. "Royal Navy, occupying colonial force in Falkland Islands, reports military exercise with missiles on the coast of East Falkland.
. Anachronistic use of force in violation of international law. They do not care. A clear example of double standards."
Mrs Kirchner then promised to summon the British ambassador, Shan Morgan, and said: "Conclusion ... pirates for ever?"
Her postings were erased, but not before they had been re-posted by hundreds of other Twitter users, many of them Argentines who enthusiastically endorsed the remarks.
Bugger off, Argies: The Falkland Islanders have consistently made it known they wish to be under British, not Argentinean, rule
The Twitter posts threaten to increase tension between the two countries at a time when British companies are beginning to explore for oil and gas in the region. Last week, in what is thought to have been the first incident of its kind in four years, an Argentine military ship confronted a trawler from the Falklands and accused it of fishing illegally. The Argentine crew contacted the fishermen, who were several miles inside Falklands waters, and demanded their details. The boat, from Port Stanley, eventually moved away.
Britain informed Argentina last week that it planned to carry out missile tests, in what officials have insisted was standard procedure. An embassy spokesman told local reporters: "We are a little taken aback, because these exercises are routine and are carried out every six months.
They've been happening for 28 years."
Mrs Kirchner has previously pledged an "eternal fight" to claim the Falklands Islands, which are known to Argentines as Las Malvinas. However she later ruled out the use of force to take the islands, which were briefly under the control of the then-ruling Argentine military junta in 1982. Britain sent a naval force and thousands of troops to reclaim the islands and there is a permanent British military presence on the islands, with 1,076 troops and four ships stationed in the region.
Recent tests indicated that there could be about 700 million barrels worth of crude oil under the ocean around the Falklands, which could be worth about £3 billion.
An official statement later released by Mrs Kirchner's office said: "The Argentine Government reiterates that the Malvinas, Georgias and South Sandwich Islands, part of the Argentine Republic and unlawfully occupied by the United Kingdom, are in dispute, which is recognised by the United Nations and other international organisations."
The Falkland Islands - The British were there way before the Argies
The Falkland Islands were ruled by three countries - France, Spain, and Britain - before Argentina even came into existence. France was the first country to establish control over the Falklands when, in 1764, it founded the settlement of Port Saint Louis (named after the French king Louis XV) in the east of the islands. The French named the islands "Les Malouines" after the Breton port of St Malo.
In 1766, France agreed to give the islands to Spain, and the Spaniards changed the name of Port Saint Louis to Puerto Soledad (Port Solitude).
But Britain - a British ship, under Captain John Strong, sailed through Falkland Sound way back in 1690 and named the islands after Anthony Cary, 5th Viscount of Falkland, the First Lord of the Admiralty at that time - already had a colony at Port Egmont, so the Spanish, somewhat unfairly and greedily, kicked out the British to gain control over the whole of the islands, even though the British were clearly on the islands before the Spanish were. This incident almost led to Britain declaring war on Spain, but the two countries signed a treaty on 22 January 1771 which allowed the British to return to Port Egmont with neither side relinquishing sovereignty claims over the islands.
The British, for economic reasons, (caused by fighting a group of slave-owners in North America who hypocritically thought they should be free people) decided to leave the Islands in 1774. The British withdrawal was completed in 1776, with a plaque asserting British sovereignty left behind, leaving Spain in total control. From 1774 to 1811, the islands were ruled from Buenos Aires as part of the Viceroyalty of the River Plate (Argentina itself was not yet in existence). Both Britain and America did not recognise Buenos Aires' claim to the islands.
Although there was no British administration in the islands, British and American sealers routinely used them to hunt for seals, also taking on fresh water as well as feral cattle, pigs and even penguins for provisions. Whalers also used the islands to shelter from the South Atlantic weather and to take on fresh provisions.
But the islands' governor, Luis Vernet, a German of French descent appointed by River Plate, objected to the Americans indiscriminately slaughtering the islands' wildlife and so, in 1829, he arrested three American sealing ships.
In 1831, a US warship, the Lexington, launched a raid on the islands to attack the American sealers. However, instead of doing this, the US warship instead destroyed the settlement of Port Saint Louis (it now had its original name).
This spurred Britain into action (Britain had more right to claim the islands as it occupied them long before the Americans and the Argentinian territories had), which decided that it should have the islands back (and that destroying settlements for no apparent reason other than that you are trigger happy is not the way to go about things), and a Royal Navy task force was sent to recover the islands for Britain.
On 2 January 1833, Captain James Onslow, of the brig-sloop HMS Clio, arrived at the islands to request that the flag of the United Provinces of the River Plate be replaced with the British one, and for the administration to leave the islands. The commander of a River Plate military ship initially tried to resist the British but, knowing that the British vastly outnumbered him and that a large number of his crew were actually British mercenaries who were unwilling to fight their own countrymen, realised it would have been suicidal taking on a Royal Navy warship.
The British then started turning the islands into a colony, appointing Lt Richard Moody as the islands' first governor. Moody was then instructed by Lord Stanley, the British Secretary of State for War and the Colonies, to report on the potential of the Port William area to be the islands' capital. After concluding that the port afforded a good deep-water anchorage for naval vessels, the British chose the area as their colonies' new capital, renaming Port Stanley, which it is called to this day.
The islands have remained in British ownership ever since, with the exception of April-May 1982 when Argentina invaded them. But, after a brief but deadly war, the British re-gained control of the islands.
Today, not only do the Falkland Islanders wish their islands to be under British control, they are considered to be British citizens. They gained full British citizenship with the British Nationality (Falkland Islands) Act 1983, after the Falklands War.
In 2009, the Falkland Islands government released a statement condemning Argentina's cliam over the islands. It said: “Whilst Britain and the Falkland Islands have moved on to a new relationship based on democracy and self-determination, our Argentine neighbours remain in a time warp, still pressing their anachronistic claim to territorial sovereignty. In short, they wish to colonize the Falkland Islands."
telegraph.co.uk
On Twitter, Kirchner - hated by Falkland Islanders - criticised the MoD over plans to carry out military tests in the region and has complained to the UN about the "militarisation of the South Atlantic."
"Serious, very serious," Mrs Kirchner wrote. "Royal Navy, occupying colonial force in Falkland Islands, reports military exercise with missiles on the coast of East Falkland.
"Typical nineteenth century colonialism. Anachronistic use of force in violation of international law. They do not care. A clear example of double standards."
But Britain has expressed its surprising over why Kirchner is suddenly mentioning these military tests - Britain has been performing them since 1982.
By bringing up the Falkland Islands, Kirchner must be suffering in the polls. It's common for an Argentinian leader to try and drum up support amongst the people by bringing up the topic of the Falklands Islands, as Argentina's brutal military dictator General Galtieri did back in the early 80s which eventually lead to Argentina invading the islands in 1982 and Britain having to kick them out (the Argies can actually thank Britain for this because Galtieri's defeat in that war led to his downfall and Argentina eventually becoming a democracy).
But Kirchner can protest all she wants about perceived "typical nineteenth century colonialism" as the Falkland Islands most definitely are NOT going to become Argentinian anytime soon (or at all).
Apart from the fact that Britain first came into possession of the islands in 1765, fifty years BEFORE Argentina even became an independent nation, the vast majority of the Falkland Islanders wish to be under British, not Argentinean, rule. Which means that, according to UN rules, it is right and democratic that the islands are under British rule.
In a disgusting incident earlier this year, an Argentinian military ship confronted a Falklands trawler and accused it of fishing illegally, with the crew of the Argie ship demanding to know the details of the trawler's crew. This is despite the fact the trawler was several miles inside Falkland Islands waters (the Royal Navy wouldn't have been pleased if the Argies tried shooting at the fishermen).
In 2009, the Falkland Islands accused Argentina over remaining "in a time warp."
Maybe Kirchner is miffed at the sight of the Falkland Islands competing at this year's Commonwealth Games.
Royal Navy are pirates, says Argentina's president
By Jon Swaine in New York
10 Oct 2010
The Telegraph
Argentina's president, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, attacked the Navy over Twitter Photo: EPA
The president of Argentina has described the Royal Navy as pirates and accused the British government of behaving like an imperial power with regard to the Falkland Islands.
Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner used Twitter, the micro-blogging website, to sharply criticise plans by the Ministry of Defence to carry out military tests in the region. In a series of frank postings on her official Twitter account, she announced that Argentina had complained to the United Nations about Britain's "militarisation of the South Atlantic".
The Falkland Islands - They're ours, Argies
"Serious, very serious," Mrs Kirchner wrote. "Royal Navy, occupying colonial force in Falkland Islands, reports military exercise with missiles on the coast of East Falkland.
. Anachronistic use of force in violation of international law. They do not care. A clear example of double standards."
Mrs Kirchner then promised to summon the British ambassador, Shan Morgan, and said: "Conclusion ... pirates for ever?"
Her postings were erased, but not before they had been re-posted by hundreds of other Twitter users, many of them Argentines who enthusiastically endorsed the remarks.
Bugger off, Argies: The Falkland Islanders have consistently made it known they wish to be under British, not Argentinean, rule
The Twitter posts threaten to increase tension between the two countries at a time when British companies are beginning to explore for oil and gas in the region. Last week, in what is thought to have been the first incident of its kind in four years, an Argentine military ship confronted a trawler from the Falklands and accused it of fishing illegally. The Argentine crew contacted the fishermen, who were several miles inside Falklands waters, and demanded their details. The boat, from Port Stanley, eventually moved away.
Britain informed Argentina last week that it planned to carry out missile tests, in what officials have insisted was standard procedure. An embassy spokesman told local reporters: "We are a little taken aback, because these exercises are routine and are carried out every six months.
They've been happening for 28 years."
Mrs Kirchner has previously pledged an "eternal fight" to claim the Falklands Islands, which are known to Argentines as Las Malvinas. However she later ruled out the use of force to take the islands, which were briefly under the control of the then-ruling Argentine military junta in 1982. Britain sent a naval force and thousands of troops to reclaim the islands and there is a permanent British military presence on the islands, with 1,076 troops and four ships stationed in the region.
Recent tests indicated that there could be about 700 million barrels worth of crude oil under the ocean around the Falklands, which could be worth about £3 billion.
An official statement later released by Mrs Kirchner's office said: "The Argentine Government reiterates that the Malvinas, Georgias and South Sandwich Islands, part of the Argentine Republic and unlawfully occupied by the United Kingdom, are in dispute, which is recognised by the United Nations and other international organisations."
The Falkland Islands - The British were there way before the Argies
The Falkland Islands were ruled by three countries - France, Spain, and Britain - before Argentina even came into existence. France was the first country to establish control over the Falklands when, in 1764, it founded the settlement of Port Saint Louis (named after the French king Louis XV) in the east of the islands. The French named the islands "Les Malouines" after the Breton port of St Malo.
In 1766, France agreed to give the islands to Spain, and the Spaniards changed the name of Port Saint Louis to Puerto Soledad (Port Solitude).
But Britain - a British ship, under Captain John Strong, sailed through Falkland Sound way back in 1690 and named the islands after Anthony Cary, 5th Viscount of Falkland, the First Lord of the Admiralty at that time - already had a colony at Port Egmont, so the Spanish, somewhat unfairly and greedily, kicked out the British to gain control over the whole of the islands, even though the British were clearly on the islands before the Spanish were. This incident almost led to Britain declaring war on Spain, but the two countries signed a treaty on 22 January 1771 which allowed the British to return to Port Egmont with neither side relinquishing sovereignty claims over the islands.
The British, for economic reasons, (caused by fighting a group of slave-owners in North America who hypocritically thought they should be free people) decided to leave the Islands in 1774. The British withdrawal was completed in 1776, with a plaque asserting British sovereignty left behind, leaving Spain in total control. From 1774 to 1811, the islands were ruled from Buenos Aires as part of the Viceroyalty of the River Plate (Argentina itself was not yet in existence). Both Britain and America did not recognise Buenos Aires' claim to the islands.
Although there was no British administration in the islands, British and American sealers routinely used them to hunt for seals, also taking on fresh water as well as feral cattle, pigs and even penguins for provisions. Whalers also used the islands to shelter from the South Atlantic weather and to take on fresh provisions.
But the islands' governor, Luis Vernet, a German of French descent appointed by River Plate, objected to the Americans indiscriminately slaughtering the islands' wildlife and so, in 1829, he arrested three American sealing ships.
In 1831, a US warship, the Lexington, launched a raid on the islands to attack the American sealers. However, instead of doing this, the US warship instead destroyed the settlement of Port Saint Louis (it now had its original name).
This spurred Britain into action (Britain had more right to claim the islands as it occupied them long before the Americans and the Argentinian territories had), which decided that it should have the islands back (and that destroying settlements for no apparent reason other than that you are trigger happy is not the way to go about things), and a Royal Navy task force was sent to recover the islands for Britain.
On 2 January 1833, Captain James Onslow, of the brig-sloop HMS Clio, arrived at the islands to request that the flag of the United Provinces of the River Plate be replaced with the British one, and for the administration to leave the islands. The commander of a River Plate military ship initially tried to resist the British but, knowing that the British vastly outnumbered him and that a large number of his crew were actually British mercenaries who were unwilling to fight their own countrymen, realised it would have been suicidal taking on a Royal Navy warship.
The British then started turning the islands into a colony, appointing Lt Richard Moody as the islands' first governor. Moody was then instructed by Lord Stanley, the British Secretary of State for War and the Colonies, to report on the potential of the Port William area to be the islands' capital. After concluding that the port afforded a good deep-water anchorage for naval vessels, the British chose the area as their colonies' new capital, renaming Port Stanley, which it is called to this day.
The islands have remained in British ownership ever since, with the exception of April-May 1982 when Argentina invaded them. But, after a brief but deadly war, the British re-gained control of the islands.
Today, not only do the Falkland Islanders wish their islands to be under British control, they are considered to be British citizens. They gained full British citizenship with the British Nationality (Falkland Islands) Act 1983, after the Falklands War.
In 2009, the Falkland Islands government released a statement condemning Argentina's cliam over the islands. It said: “Whilst Britain and the Falkland Islands have moved on to a new relationship based on democracy and self-determination, our Argentine neighbours remain in a time warp, still pressing their anachronistic claim to territorial sovereignty. In short, they wish to colonize the Falkland Islands."
telegraph.co.uk
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