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Falklands - Hague Insists Warship Manoeuvres and William Assignment Are Routine

Falklands Hague Warship William

PA/The Huffington Post UK   First Posted: 5/02/2012 10:48 Updated: 5/02/2012 10:56

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Deployments of a warship and Prince William to the Falkland Islands are "entirely routine", the Foreign Secretary said on Sunday morning.

William Hague told the Sky News Murnaghan programme that commemorations would go ahead to mark the 30-year anniversary of the Falklands conflict.

But he said Britain supported the islanders' self-determination and would seek to prevent Argentina from "raising the diplomatic temperature" on the issue.

The Foreign Secretary was speaking as Prince William started his six-week tour of the Falklands, and amid unconfirmed reports that the UK was sending a nuclear submarine to the region.

Mr Hague said: "(The events) are not so much celebrations as commemorations.

"I think Argentina will also be holding commemorations of those who died in the conflict.

"Since both countries will be doing that I don't think there is anything provocative about that.

"Nor is there anything provocative about entirely routine military movements.

"They are entirely routine - of course our ships regularly visit the South Atlantic. We don't normally make any comment on the deployment of our nuclear submarines.

"But our Naval vessels regularly visit the South Atlantic.

"Prince William is on a routine deployment that is part of his job.

"We will resist the diplomatic efforts of Argentina to raise the temperature on this and when I was in the Caribbean a couple of weeks
ago, the Caribbean nations agreed to support a self-determination of the Falkland islanders which is what we believe in.

"We will put the case for that around the world, including for Latin American and Caribbean nations whenever we get the opportunity."

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Deployments of a warship and Prince William to the Falkland Islands are "entirely routine", the Foreign Secretary said on Sunday morning. William Hague told the Sky News Murnaghan programme that co...
Deployments of a warship and Prince William to the Falkland Islands are "entirely routine", the Foreign Secretary said on Sunday morning. William Hague told the Sky News Murnaghan programme that co...
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Marky H
25 Fans
07:41 on 06/02/2012
The question that must be asked is "If Dauntless is in the South Atlantic, where is our other ship?" The Conservatives have destroyed the Royal Navy by making honest and loyal sailors redundant and scrapping ships but are quite happy to risk what's left. Shame on you Cameron.
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Stanley Austin
5 Fans
 
05:31 on 06/02/2012
Are we letting Argentina know that we are getting weak ?.Removing our Aircraft Carriers is a big mistake,and detrimental to the safety of the Falkland's residents.I believe that only having destroyers and frigates there,will not play a secure role.
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Blindstu
64 Fans
07:49 on 06/02/2012
The Falkland Islands don't need an aircraft carrier to protect them, the airport on the islands is more than enough for the landing of aircraft. Also.......I know you wont believe this but once a ship reaches 20 or 30 years old.......it's clapped out and starts costing more than it's worth to maintain it.
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tickeli
29 Fans
05:21 on 06/02/2012
Of course there's nothing odd about it William... if you say so.
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an seanchus mor
155 Fans
02:58 on 06/02/2012
pornographic stateist filth!
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Allyb999
50 Fans
14:49 on 06/02/2012
What???????????????
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ladameennoir
Child of the Reagan 80s
329 Fans
01:45 on 06/02/2012
This is a ploy by the MoD to drum up support for more defence spending. Argentina is broke, her air force still uses obsolete aircraft, her navy is only slightly better than Russia's rust fleet, and the Argie Army couldn't defeat the Metropolitan Police.
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garethl
28 Fans
01:28 on 06/02/2012
These Islands are 290 miles away from Argentina. They have never been settled by Argentinians and existed as a colony before Argentina existed as an independent state. The population have an overtly British culture which they want to retain. Both Britain and Argentina have no claim over the islands it is the choice of those who live there. This is a case for The UN.
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Vapula
Failure is not an option
1165 Fans
00:43 on 06/02/2012
Just another useless lying politician.
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tetleys
26 Fans
21:31 on 05/02/2012
Ok quick question, we all know its (mostly/probably/if not certainly will be) about the oil fields in and around the Islands, so whats wrong with that? You all drive cars, use synthetic products produced from oil, fly, etc etc and when push comes to shove we will need as much oil as we can get within the next 20 years or so. No matter what your Lib Dem handout says the wind farms wont cut it, so whats next? Ae you going to hope that someone will come up with a magical solution to completly replace oil very soon? Behave yourselves, all future wars, irrespective of wether we like it or not, will be about oil and natural resurces so whats the matter with maintaining our (legal) claim over the Islands at this time?
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alangriggs07
8 Fans
22:35 on 05/02/2012
This is about the self determination of the Islanders. There is no certainty that oil will be discovered in the the Falklands and even if it is, it's a finite source. Would you leave the islanders to their own fate when the prospective supply of oil and gas runs out?

The Falkland Islanders wish to remain British, that is their right!
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tetleys
26 Fans
22:40 on 05/02/2012
I completely agree, the Islands are British, we have a legal claim and they want to stay British. However lets be realistic about this, succesive Governments dont realy care about the islanders, and true to form if it suited a specific political party then they would ditch the islands at the first opportunity, claiming some spurious agreement for the good and benfit etc etc however the likelihood of oil makes it a possible good future financial bet!
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GRLev
2 Fans
20:45 on 05/02/2012
Nothing odd here, move along ...
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Trenchfoot
35 Fans
20:31 on 05/02/2012
What is "odd" about the warship deployment is that we managed to find a warship at all.
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Blindstu
64 Fans
07:55 on 06/02/2012
We haven't had a real navy since after WW2 so we've been living in a fool's paradise thinking that the navy could actually save us. I spent 40 at sea in the merchant navy and you could count on the fingers of one hand the times I saw the British navy at sea or in a foreign port, on the other hand, the US navy are everywhere and thank goodness they are.
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earlsspg
61 Fans
20:02 on 05/02/2012
Nice for Hague to be in the Caribbeans, why ?
in these days of telephones and even computers, why spend taxpayers money on his airmiles?
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Blindstu
64 Fans
07:56 on 06/02/2012
Cos they don't have computers or telephones in the Caribbeans?
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earlsspg
61 Fans
20:00 on 06/02/2012
Alas, computers and ''phones seem ubiquitous.
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TheGreatLeader
10 Fans
19:33 on 05/02/2012
The deployment is too little too late, it wont impress the Argentinians who know the perilous weak state of our overstretched armed forces. Anyway, HMS Dauntless is under instructions not to be provocative or engage in hostilities unless fired upon first, which puts our sailors at an immediate disadvantage. The Captain could be courtmartialled if he tries to use his initiative.
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tetleys
26 Fans
21:50 on 05/02/2012
Fortunatly for us there forces are in a considerabey worse state....
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PASUJOBA
0 Fans
01:54 on 19/02/2012
Yeah but we have submarines still and offer a seriuos threat to the argies despite us not having too many surface ships any more
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BOMBAYMONEYLENDER
14 Fans
19:18 on 05/02/2012
WEE WILLY WONKA THINKS THAT WE BELIEVE HIM,HE IS A TORY HOW CAN YOU.
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tripcony
13 Fans
19:07 on 05/02/2012
alot of comments here smack of the type of stuff that went on in this country at that time i thought we had moved on a bit since then...oh well maybe not...but argentina have got some claim to the islands if you read the history of them but then we psent much dosch on keeping the islands british and yet we kicked off several thousand british people on diego garcia and gave it to the yanks....britain is very 2 faced and our past is shocking and shameful...if you read the real history
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jacksdad41
87 Fans
 
19:18 on 05/02/2012
Argentina has NO claims to the Falklands whatsoever, it doesnt even have a claim to Argentina!! Have a read of your history books - I would point you to a shortcut but I cant be bothered with people going off half cocked about subjects on which thay have no clue or wont even do a bit of research before spouting tosh. Every countries past is shocking and shameful to a greater or lesser extent but I dont see why we still have to wear hair shirts and doff our caps for every "sin" we comitted in days of Empire. By and large we educated, governed and put in infrastructures that remain to this day. Some of our former colonies have not moved on since independance - I get the hump when I continually have to be expected to apologise for being British - I am - and proud of it.
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tetleys
26 Fans
21:19 on 05/02/2012
Correct jacks well said, im thinking of cutting and pasting the history of the ilsands for the silly few who cannot grasp or understand history or those that cant be bothered to read anything other than there Lib Dem handouts on the subject!
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HisScaliness
24 Fans
19:42 on 05/02/2012
Diego Garcia is a scandal, but has no bearing on the Falklands Islands.

Argentina has no claim on the Flaklands whatsoever.
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agent black
1 Fans
18:20 on 05/02/2012
what vague hague means is stay away from our oil!!!!!!!
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