Falklands row flares with Argentina letter

LONDON

Kirchner throws flowers in the Beagle Channel in Ushuaia during an act of the commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the war with UK. EPA photo

Argentine President Cristina Kirchner published an open letter in the British press yesterday calling on Prime Minister David Cameron to return the disputed Falkland Islands.

In the letter, published as an advert in several national newspapers, Kirchner said the South Atlantic islands were “forcibly stripped” from Argentina 180 years ago today “in a blatant exercise of 19th-century colonialism.”

“Since then, Britain, the colonial power, has refused to return the territories to the Argentine Republic, thus preventing it from restoring its territorial integrity,” she wrote. Kirchner said the U.N. adopted a resolution in 1965 which considered the islands as a case of colonialism and invited Britain and Argentina to hold talks on their disputed claims, Agence France-Presse reported. “I reiterate our invitation for us to abide by the resolutions of the U.N.,” she wrote, copying in U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

Cameron rebuffs call

Downing Street has rebuffed the call. A spokesman for Cameron said the people of the Falklands had shown “a clear desire to remain British” and their interests would be protected, according to BBC website. The islanders are due to vote this year in a referendum on whether they want to stay part of Britain’s self-governing overseas territories. They are expected to vote overwhelmingly in favor of the status quo.