Falklands want to remain British

The Falkland Islands will hold a referendum on their political status in the first half of next year. Formally an overseas territory of the United Kingdom, the Falklands have for decades been the subject of a bitter dispute between Britain and Argentina, which calls them the Maldives.

Announced on the eve of the 30th anniversary of Britain’s victory in a war with Argentina over the Falklands, the upcoming plebiscite is a strong message to Buenos Aires which, despite its defeat in the 1992 war, has not relinquished its claims to the disputed archipelago. Chairman of the Falklands’ legislative assembly Gavin Short expressed confidence that the islanders would support UK sovereignty.

Mr. Short has no doubt that the people of the Falklands want the islands to remain a self-governing overseas territory of the United Kingdom. “We certainly have no desire to be ruled by the government in Buenos Aires, a fact that is immediately obvious to anyone who has visited the islands and heard our views,” he said. He dismissed as “absurd” and “misleading” Argentina’s rhetoric that “wrongly implies” that the islanders had no strong views or even that they were being held hostage by the UK military.

British Prime Minister David Cameron hailed the islanders’ decision as “absolutely right” and promised that London would accept their choice. Foreign Secretary William Hague echoed that he hoped very much that “Argentina and indeed the whole of the international community” would join Britain in “listening carefully” to what the people of the Falklands had to say.

Britain’s reaction was fairly predictable. London has repeatedly declared that the Falklands have been and will remain British, unless of course, the islanders themselves wish to change their status. But given the fact never in the past 180 years have they ventured such a wish, the “no” vote seems implausible.

The latter circumstance seems to have little effect on Argentina as it vows to keep on struggling. On Thursday, President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner is planning to attend a session of the United Nations Special Committee on Decolonization, during which she will seek UN help in getting Britain to go into talks with Argentina over the disputed islands’ sovereignty.

However, London has too much to lose and is unlikely to compromise. Let alone the casualties sustained by Britain in the Falklands War, British oil companies have set their eyes on hydrocarbons the islands’ shelf reportedly holds. In addition, the Falklands are an important strategic outpost for the future development of mineral deposits in Antarctica.

Source :Moscow Time