ARGENTINA’S President has used the 40th anniversary of the Falklands war to reignite tensions with the UK, claiming the Falkland Islanders are actually Argentines and ripping into “British colonialism in the 21st century”.
Agrentinian president insists Falklands in not British territory
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Argentine’s President Alberto Fernandez has marked the 40th anniversary of the Falklands war by unleashing a furious attack on Britain in an interview with the BBC. Even 40 years after the war, recent polls suggest that as much as 80 percent of Argentines see Britain as “illegally occupying” the island. A total of 649 Argentine and 255 British servicemen died in the 74-day war in 1982 which Britain eventually won.
Speaking to BBC News Mundo, President Fernandez reignited tensions by insisting that “the only thing that is clear to me is that the Malvinas are not English”.
The Malvinas is the Argentine name for the Falklands Islands.
The president told the BBC that he will keep fighting to get the islands back, and accused Britain of colonialism in the 21st century.
He continued: “They have no connection! But they do have an obvious connection with Argentina.
“We will continue to insist on a diplomatic path so that Argentina can regain its sovereignty over the islands.”
Argentine’s President Alberto Fernandez has marked the 40th anniversary of the Falklands war (Image: BBC)
The president told the BBC that he will keep fighting to get the islands back (Image: BBC)
The BBC’s Daniel Pardo questioned how Argentina saw “the rights of Falkland Islanders,” who feel overwhelmingly British.
In a 2013 referendum, residents of the Falklands voted 99.8 percent to remain a British territory.
However, President Fernandez responded: “According to international law, they are Argentines because they were born in Argentina’s territory.
“The fact that we are even discussing whether colonialism is viable in the 21st century is shameful. And those who should feel ashamed are those who own colonies.”
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President Fernandez said then-PM Margaret Thatcher should have been convicted of war crimes (Image: BBC)
He said that then-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher would have been “convicted for war crimes if she was the leader of a developing country”.
The Argentine leader added that the islands will eventually be returned, saying: “Because I believe that reason always wins.
“We don’t have the same strength, or an alliance with the US or artillery, or nuclear weapons, but we are in the right.”
