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Falklands Row: Argentina Hits Back At Cameron Over Colonialist Remarks

Falkland Islands

First Posted: 19/01/12 14:54 Updated: 19/01/12 16:51

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Argentina's foreign minister has described Britain as being in "imperial decline" after David Cameron accused the country of "colonialism" over the Falkland Islands.

Hector Timerman accused the prime minister of rewriting history, according to Argentina'sTelam news agency.

"Obviously at a time when there are only remnants of colonialism, Great Britain, in an imperial decline, decides to rewrite history," he was quoted as saying.

“Not even the English newspapers support Cameron”.

Speaking on Thursday in in Rio de Janeiro Brazil, foreign secretary William Hague said the days of the UK's "diplomatic retreat" from Latin America were over: “We welcome a stronger role in world affairs for Latin American countries, although where we have our own views over issues such as the Falkland Islands we will always be frank about them. We will always uphold UK sovereignty and the rights of the Islanders to self-determination, while valuing the ability to discuss these issues with Brazil in a framework that respects international law and human rights.”

Timerman's comments come after the prime minister confirmed on Wednesday that the relationship with Argentina was discussed at a full-length National Security Council.

Cameron told MPs: "We support the Falkland Islanders' right to self-determination, and what the Argentinians have been saying recently, I would argue is actually far more like colonialism because these people want to remain British.

"I'm determined we should make sure that our defences and everything else is in order, which is why the National Security Council discussed this issue yesterday."

There is rising tension between Britain and Argentina over the islands, as the 30th anniversary of the Falklands war approaches.

The majority of islanders are said to support their British heritage.

A trade embargo with the Falklands by various South American countries - called for by the Argentine government - came into force earlier in January.

Under the terms of the embargo, vessels carrying the Falklands' flag are banned from docking in the ports of several South American nations, in a move the Falklands' government says is designed to stifle their economy.

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Argentina's foreign minister has described Britain as being in "imperial decline" after David Cameron accused the country of "colonialism" over the Falkland Islands. Hector Timerman accused the pr...
Argentina's foreign minister has described Britain as being in "imperial decline" after David Cameron accused the country of "colonialism" over the Falkland Islands. Hector Timerman accused the pr...
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
CymroTramor
saysomethinginwelsh
232 Fans
15:49 on 21/01/2012
I thought this was solved back in the 80's
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Blindstu
136 Fans
09:06 on 21/01/2012
The government in Argentina must be suffering a decline in popularity at the moment because every time this happens, they fetch out the Falkland Islands claim. Someone should remind them that they lost the last war they fought over those islands and they should count themselves very lucky that their homeland wasn't invaded after that war. If they want to take control, they should offer the islanders a price to buy the place, there aren't that many of them so it would be far cheaper than going to war again. They could either do that or do it by stealth, by getting their own citizens to settle there......when they become the majority, claiming the islands wouldn't be a problem. That very same process is already currently taking place here in the UK today. If you don't believe that, take a look down your local high street.
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whapgra
80 Fans
 
17:19 on 20/01/2012
Shortly after the formation of the United Nations in 1945, Argentina asserted its right to sovereignty over the Falkland Islands. In 1947, the United Kingdom offered to submit the case to the International Court of Justice at The Hague, but Argentina refused the offer. A unilateral application by the United Kingdom in 1955 to the Court in respect of Argentine encroachment ended in deadlock when Argentina announced that it would not respect the decision of the cour
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dalejohno
29 Fans
15:52 on 20/01/2012
Of coarse we are in imperial decline. We decided to reduce our colonies many years ago. It is the Argentinians who constantly rewrtie history especially about the bits where they murdered their own people. Yes we are in Imperial decline and long may it continue as long as those that are in these little off shoots of UK want to leave us. Bit like the Scots I suppose.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
mokgee
Sabu.Satsang, Samsara, Solitude...
139 Fans
15:22 on 20/01/2012
The Argies have a valid point, Imperial decline, is absolutely right, they like we, have noticed how weak we have become as a country to how we once were. They know that the EU, dictate what we do or don't do they are not stupid. Indecision, incompetent, inertness, is what British politicians have become. The globes people have no respect for us anymore as a nation, and who can blame them. Our history and heritage, are amost deleted by the politicians, on behalf of their EU governors. Britain, has become ridiculed by the very people who in my opinion have set out to destroy our once Imperial title. Reduced to a shambles of another EU state of nothingness.....
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hautchamps13
11 Fans
10:59 on 20/01/2012
Argentina should be grateful to Britain for helping to overthrowing the military junta that murdered 10s of thousands of their on citizens and enabling them to have a democracy. Had Britain not won the war, Argentina would have suffered for many more years under a fascist military dictatorship. The British victory ensured they were thrown out. Under internatinal law, if a country has been in a situation of union for over 100 years, as the Falklands has with Britain, then there is no dispute as to who owns it. Perhaps the Argentine government should look at the law as it had to in its dispute with Chile over the land in Tierra del Fuego, which they lost under international law but will not accept! Finally, when Britain annexed the Falklands, Argentina did not exist, so how can they now claim it?
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Gerald OHare
Retired guy living in the great state of N.J.
265 Fans
08:26 on 20/01/2012
All of this is just huffing and puffing for the local people. It must be near election time and trashing outsiders is always a vote getting thing to do. It also distracts from the local problems that no politicians wants to talk about.That is what Chavez in Venezuela does. He screwed up a nice country and then tries to blame everything on the US.
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GingerlyColors
No will to change it, no right to criticize it
73 Fans
08:18 on 20/01/2012
How much longer is this going to go on? Both Britain and Argentina have their problems but the Falklands problem should not be used by either side to bury bad news. It is time for both of our nations to step back from the brink, and after say a six month period of calm then we should negotiate our shares of the plentiful resources such as oil and fish that surround the islands. The Falkland Islands themselves are not negotiable - the people who live there wish to remain British. Mineral and fishing rights normally extend 200 miles from the shoreline but I believe that we can cut the Argentinians some slack over the oil fields and fishing. Many taxpayers at home do question whether it is worthwhile spending billions of pounds on safeguarding the interests of some 3000 people, equivalent of a small town 8000 miles away. We've handed Hong Kong over to the Chinese without any problems. Argentina now is a totally different country from the fascist dictatorship that murdered 30,000 of it's own people before invading in 1982. I'm pretty sure that life in the Falklands will continue as before under Argentinian rule as it does under British rule. Did you know that there is a Welsh speaking migrant community in Patagonia? That would be the easy solution but the people of the Falkland Islands resolutely wish to remain British.
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Reality always bites
Sometimes just a bit peckish
239 Fans
22:56 on 20/01/2012
Quote- "We've handed Hong Kong over to the Chinese without any problems".
Hong Kong was not handed over to the Chinese.The lease (99 years) was in force until then.
In 1898, under the terms of the Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory, Britain obtained a 99-year lease of Lantau Island and the adjacent northern lands, which became known as the New Territories.
Britain duly respected that in 1998! Other than that point I agree with your comment.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
GingerlyColors
No will to change it, no right to criticize it
73 Fans
06:40 on 21/01/2012
Hong Kong Island and part of the Kowloon Peninsula were outrightly British. Retaining control of them following the end of the 99 year lease of the New Territories would have been considered impractical so we let China have the lot.
Any future war with Argentina will be about oil. The 1982 war was instigated by the ruling Junta in order to prop up their regime having murdered 30,000 of their own people. Now that oil is part of the equation the U.S.A. will no doubt get involved and any peace treaty will benefit the U.S.A. more than Britain or Argentina. Furthermore, Argentina is a partner of NATO and is involved in several peace keeping operations around the world, so like us, their military is stretched to the limit and with Britain, Argentina and the U.S.A. being involved with NATO and therefore effectively on the same side war is probably an option that the Argentinians do not want to consider.
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esso man
67 Fans
03:53 on 22/01/2012
LIFE remaining the same under Argy rule "WHAT PLANET ARE YOU ON !!!" there is LITTLE differance to the 1980s apart from the murdering JUNTA,you only have to see news footage of the agitated crowds to see what type of rule our citizens would be subjected to,they may not be under facist rule but their actions remain almost the same,& IF YOU HAVE BEEN THERE you would have seen FIRST HAND their attitude to the British,having "passed through there a few months ago" NOT by choice" i along with my wife (we are both pensioners) recieved first hand experiance of their hatred of us Brits,& if I had my way I would bomb the bxstxrds off the face of the planet!!
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
GingerlyColors
No will to change it, no right to criticize it
73 Fans
07:05 on 22/01/2012
I know things aren't rosy down Argentina way with the economy and the 30th anniversary of the Falklands War coming up the government is stirring things up to bury bad news.
If you think the Argies hate us, I was in a Scottish pub during an England vs Argentina game in 2002, the landlord's son was wearing Argentinian shirt! In that case I will support any country (including Argentina) playing against Scotland. Maybe we should let the Argies have Scotland!
As for life remaining the same under Argy rule, a handover could make the islands a Special Administrative Region like Hong Kong to slow changes such as bilingual road signs. My suggestion is also to give the islanders £1,000,000 each and give them the choice of either settling elsewhere or accepting life under their new rulers. The only trouble with that idea is it could set a precedent.
Many British people who visit Argentina seem to do so without problems and there is a population of 100,000 people of English descent living there in addition to the Welsh community. In contrast our Argentinian community is small - only about 7,000.
While we spent 10 weeks at war with Argentina in 1982, we spent 10 years at war with Germany during the 20th century. Since then we have handed much of our sovereignty over to a German dominated Europe.
Having said all that I much prefer the status quo to remain and Argentina to stop sabre-rattling over the islands.
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Reality always bites
Sometimes just a bit peckish
239 Fans
19:02 on 19/01/2012
Renta mob crew in the photo of protesters! I suspect they had all been hired for a few dollars a day and were glad of the money. Unemployment benefits being virtually non existant in Argentina. The effort put into the placards shows a real fighting spirit (Not).
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jacksdad41
Quant Je Puis
182 Fans
 
19:35 on 19/01/2012
Good spot, they dont look the student type angry young men do they?
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Reality always bites
Sometimes just a bit peckish
239 Fans
20:36 on 19/01/2012
Just remember how many Naz*s fled to the South Americas. Propaganda training would have been first rate! Shame they have forgotten most of it!
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lenuk
133 Fans
21:58 on 20/01/2012
I think that you will find that these are Falklands War veterans.
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Reality always bites
Sometimes just a bit peckish
239 Fans
22:40 on 20/01/2012
I think your imagination runs riot. Even if they were involved in 1982 (30 years ago) they would have appreciated the failure of their Junta at the time and become disillusioned by now!
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mcclartyda
24 Fans
17:34 on 19/01/2012
Here we go again, just as before when maggie was needing a bit of help. Wham out came the Falklands. The country is falling to bits, but let's take our minds of it with a nice little war eight thousand miles away. A couple of rocks in the south Atlantic, being protected by a decaying rock in the north Atlantic what fun. And all for the sake of oil, oops sorry i meant to say people.
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Trenchfoot
92 Fans
23:35 on 19/01/2012
You could say exactly the same things about the Argentine.
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SimonBao
372 Fans
23:45 on 19/01/2012
You seem to have absolutely no knowledge of history, at least not the history of that conflict.

Good heavens. At least read up in Wikipedia before posting wildly uninformed foolishness.

And what oil are you imagining in your fevered flight of fancy? Are we to believe you have already completed a thorough exploration for oil there in advance of the oil companies themselves???
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Mickey Mouse 1
There are no lies or deceit on a chess board.
180 Fans
16:35 on 19/01/2012
Britain is in moral decline. It all started when more than 400 MP's out of a total of 650 MP's were found to be fiddling their expenses, including Gordon Brown, Nick Clegg and David Cameron.
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jacksdad41
Quant Je Puis
182 Fans
 
17:39 on 19/01/2012
Way before then @MM1 - Maggie, when in power, held back the independant review board on MP's salaries which recommended a 15% (?) increase. In a show of restraint the MP's took a lot less but it was generally accepted there was more than one way of skinning a cat so expenses were "lavish" but by and large ignored until they were exposed as being over excessive, hence the reason it was not a 1 party thing - everybody had their noses in the trough and, as human nature is, much wants more became the order of the day until it was apparent they could flip houses, 1st class travel for spouses etc. they were all "at it". Off topic but nonetheless not so much moral decline as "ripping the back out of it".
On topic I dont think for all the sabre rattling and cat calling either the Argentinians or the British are keen on any sort of conflict, the danger is, if Brazil sling their lot in with Argentina that could cause real problems hence Hague pouring oil on troubled water (no pun intended). Signs are Brazil are doing remakably well economically but need to build on their strength over the long term, not sure they would fancy a war or supporting one.
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