Argentina Vows To Take Action Over Falklands Oil
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Argentina’s foreign minister Hector Timerman on Wednesday said that his country would take legal action against oil companies exploring off the disputed Falkland Islands, ending a three-day visit to London with a swipe at the U.K.’s colonial history – by thanking God for the decline the British Empire.
Argentina’s foreign minister Hector Timerman on Wednesday said that his country would take legal action against oil companies exploring off the disputed Falkland Islands, ending a three-day visit to London with a swipe at the U.K.’s colonial history – by thanking God for the decline the British Empire.
Timerman, who insisted that the “Falkland Islanders do not exist” but were “British inhabitants who live in the Islas Malvinas,” said that Argentina would strongly assert its territorial claims over the Falklands; and claimed that the islands would be under Argentinean rule “in less than 20 years.”
“We will continue the legal action against the oil companies who are doing hydrocarbon-related exploration activities in the south Atlantic, because they are stealing part of the natural resources of Argentina,” said Timerman to a packed news conference in London, as cited by Reuters.
[quote]”I am convinced if the UK accepts UN resolutions then the islands will be controlled by us in less than 20 years,” the foreign minister added.[/quote]At stake is an estimated 130-250 millions barrels of oil that could be extracted around the region, reported The Telegraph. According to Borders & Southern, who are exploring and drilling for Falklands oil, the total potential could be worth up to $1.7 billion.
Timerman arrived in London this week to make the case for Argentine ownership of the islands, but was met with a hostile response, said Reuters, with British lawmakers on accusing him of “megaphone diplomacy” and using “offensive” arguments.
The Argentina foreign minister also refused to meet with his British counterpart, William Hague, as the U.K. had insisted that Falklands residents be present when discussing the islands.
“The United Nations is very clear. Self-determination applies to a native people, not to people that have been implanted,” he said, referring to the Falklands residents. Timerman also denied imposing sanctions on the islanders, claiming that Argentina was, in fact, offering to improve their lives.
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The Falklands remains a sensitive diplomatic topic between the U.K. and Argentina, more than 20 years after the two countries fought a 74-day-war for control. Although the islands are now considered part of Britain’s self-governing territories, Buenos Aires has stepped up efforts to claim the territory, including banning Falklands-flagged ships and other vessels from trading at its ports.
Timerman, who is known for a short fuse, also took aim at Britain’s colonial past.
[quote]“Argentina’s colonial history has nothing to do with the division of the Argentine territory by the greatest colonial empire from the 19th century, the British Empire,” he said, as cited by Sky News. “Thank God it has been defeated worldwide and today it is no longer recognised as such.”[/quote]
