Argentina blocks British supply ship in Falklands dispute

All I'm going to say about this is, that Argentina really doesn't want to get into another war with Britain over this.

If this were to go to a military confrontation before May and the British general election Britain would capitulate without a fight, these are not the days of Mad Margaret, these are the days of Gutless Gordon.

Colonialism at its' finest.

grafton, bet they wouldnt back down, not even Brown. The Argies or Germans could never be backed down to The Sun wouldnt allow it.

stevecpfc

I thought it was the Mirror that the Argentines hated and feared most? But you might well be right, Britain’s tabloid backbone.

grafton Rupert Mrdoch and his media empire including Sun, NOTW and BSBSky have had the power to influence enough people to vote in the parties he wants to win. The scary thing is he as an unelected foreigner wealds more power than Brown probably does in as far as public opinion goes. He loves war and i am sure his influence and public reaction to it would pressure and British government to send another Task Force to the region.

lol, he loves war. Thats like saying, you love surrendering, and probably about as accurate too. You wouldn't happen to be French would you?

Why are the British always meddling? I think the homegrown terrorists will have to do something about this. It'll be all Britain's own fault too for it's foreign policy of terror in lands where it shouldn't be.

Why are the British always meddling?

what kind of bush do you love? the foilage type, the female type, or the man? if it's the man you really need to stop watching Fox and get some real news you meddling american you

Actually what Rupert Murdoch loves is money. The right-wing, warmonger stuff is just a front and a cover. He can't very well go around saying I give you this trash because I think you are stupid enough to buy it.

The oil thing might get interesting though. There was a big find off Brazil recently, but in very deep water. The company might be referring to that when they talk about "relatively" shallow water. The UK has to replace its supplies from the North Sea which are running down, so maybe they are targeting the South Atlantic for exploration (which Argentina won't like of course).

The British have been holding these islands for hundreds of years now. The people are not the slightest bit Argentina. The British are not going to turn these islands over to Argentina. Face it the British will not let you invade again.

This new find by Bristish oil companies is possibly as large as the North Sea oil find. The planned drilling is in British controlled watres.

Also i am not French and how can Britain be meddling, when the area is controlled by Britain.

DenDon: the female type actually. GJ: No Blood for Oil. British stay home!! Your countrymen agree with this. Yuri: If the British were as noble as they claim to be they'd give the Faulklands independence. They are keeping it to exploit it as we can see here. Would this happen if Blair was in charge?

I think peoples are wanting to govern themselves. And for once be able to make use of their own resources as a oppose to places like Russia, UK and US coming in and stealing them. Africa, Asia and South America should kick out the exploiters and rebuild their nations for the benefit of its people.

I think Argentinia should stand their ground!

YuriOtani,

If Japan had any gonaads, they would have done the same thing with Russia.

Here we go again...The Brits will not back down as this would set a precedence for other parts of the UK to act up.

Maybe Argentina can hire Sea Shephard to ram some Brit ships!

1) When a country or island expresses their wish to seperate from the UK they are given the vote to do so. Gibralta is an example of that. 2) Achocchau .... love the post! But I do think Britain would sink them. No doubt about it. :( 3) Vote for Scottish independence :D 4) I hope this whole incident doesn't lead to violence. I really want to see the world grow more unified in the future. Fighting over oil is not the way forward. Britain and Argentina need to resolve this issue and giving the islanders another vote to choose will sort it out.

If it were to come to blows, the UK would probably roll over, sad to say. The military is overstretched and under-resourced.

We had to borrow ships from the French to celebrate the Trafalgar anniversary, for God's sake.

This Endgland, that was wont to conquer others, hath made a shameful conquest of herself, with inky blots and rotten parchment bonds.

[Maybe Argentina can hire Sea Shephard to ram some Brit ships!]

Yeah and they say they are protecting the fragile ecosystems but ignore the oil companies drilling in the oceans. Because they know they'd be blown out of the water. I'd even toast the Brits if they did that.

Britain just wants their oil.

Foreign Minister Jorge Taiana met Thursday to press the issue with the governor of Tierra del Fuego province, which, on every schoolchild’s map in this South American nation, includes the islands the Argentines call Las Malvinas.

Hold on a second there. Isn't journalism supposed to be impartial and from a neutral point of view ? This sounds like it has been written by an Argentinian. 'Which on every schoolchilds map includes Las Malvinas islands' ?

Well, on school maps in the UK, the US and most other nations throughout the world, they are called The Falklands. The Falkland Islands are British territory. Simple fact. We can all argue about various islands around the world once upon a time being owned by somebody else. But territory is territory my friends.

If it were to come to blows, the UK would probably roll over, sad to say. The military is overstretched and under-resourced.

It was the Argentinian government who started the last war in the Falklands when they illegally invaded the islands and we all remember what happened to them then don't we. An assortment of Argentinian conscripts are no match for Royal Marines, the Parachute Regiment and Scots and Welsh Guardsmen.

What do the actual residents of these island consider themselves?

"Ever since the re-establishment of British rule in 1833[8] Argentina has claimed sovereignty. In pursuit of this claim, which is rejected by the islanders,[9] Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands in 1982. This precipitated the two-month-long undeclared Falklands War between Argentina and the United Kingdom and resulted in the defeat and withdrawal of the Argentine forces." "Since the war, there has been strong economic growth in both fisheries and tourism."

"The islands were uninhabited when they were first discovered by European explorers but there is evidence that Patagonian Indians may have reached the Falklands in canoes[16]."

skipthesong

The current residents are almost all British subjects and have no wish to become Argentinians.

Is Britain going to have to kick some butt again?

Journalism impartial........... now that is a good one. The day news is more fact than opinion will be a shocker.....

The Brits will just have to go kick some Argentinean butt again.

England needs to head home and takes it's transplanted citizens with it. Empires are so 19th century.

Desire Petroleum Plc has licensed six areas around the islands where it says 3.5 billion barrels of oil and 9 trillion cubic feet of natural gas can be recovered from relatively shallow deposits. The company is bringing in the Ocean Guardian, a $35 million offshore oil rig, that it expects to begin drilling in earnest by month’s end.

The British government is giving the oil company a carte branch, just like the US does to Exxon Mobile. Man, this just makes me so sick to my stomach.

England needs to head home and takes it's transplanted citizens with it. Empires are so 19th century.

To be quite honest, everyone is arguing over a barren strip of land that is a joke really. The Falklands/ Malvinas whatever, is a windswept crock of freezing cold land inhabited by a small number of mainly sheep farmers. The first settlers were European, but the only people interested in living on that frozen tundra are mainly British sheep farmers. There are no Argentinian settlers with long family histories there.

Argentina's argument that the Falkland Islands are next to them is not a valid reason. The very same argument could result in Argentina claiming sovereignty over Chile and the British already have a territorial connection in the area with the historical expeditions to the South Pole and the resulting ownership of British Antarctica.

The only reason Argentina have claimed ownership over the Falklands is because a) when there is a political election in Argentina and b) when oil was discovered in the surrounding area.

The Argentinians are not interested in living on that barren crop of rocky tundra. They just want paper sovereignty.

“Great Britain is violating Argentine sovereignty,” Gov Fabiana Rios declared after the meeting.

Right Senor Rios. So you always lay 18,000 landmines and leave them on Argentinian sovereignty that you care so much about do you ?

biglittleman, The UK did not attack Argentina first but defended its citizens. Look what happened to the aggressors. This case is not similar to our northern territories since Argentina never controlled the islands in the first place. Oh and the population would not be served well by an Argentine government. They would force the locals to leave.

If a natural catasrophe occured in the Falklands/Las Malvinas that could threaten the lives of the inhabitants, the Argentinians should ignore their pleas for help and let them wait for their far flung British masters across the Atlantic to come and help.

If a natural catasrophe occured in the Falklands/Las Malvinas that could threaten the lives of the inhabitants, the Argentinians should ignore their pleas for help and let them wait for their far flung British masters across the Atlantic to come and help.

Uneducated comment. The current medical facilities and military base provided by the British, along with it's surrounding modern naval presence, would provide a far better response than the Argentinians could ever provide. Considering that Argentina cannot even feed it's own people at the moment, that is a ridiculous quote.

Uneducated comment. The current medical facilities and military base provided by the British, along with it's surrounding modern naval presence, would provide a far better response than the Argentinians could ever provide. Considering that Argentina cannot even feed it's own people at the moment, that is a ridiculous quote.

Apologies, this thought was made for Japan's strategy to humiliate the Russians over their administration of the Kuriles, unlike the Argentinian situation you have illustrated, Japan is better equipped to deal with humanitarian efforts over not only the Kuriles, but what is known as the entire Sakhalin Oblast than Moscow's remote response through Vladivostok.

No need for apologies Neo. You are quite right about the Japanese/ Russian issue regarding the Kuriles.

Hold on a second there. Isn't journalism supposed to be impartial and from a neutral point of view ? This sounds like it has been written by an Argentinian. 'Which on every schoolchilds map includes Las Malvinas islands' ?

The article very clearly states the maps in "this South American nation". That would be Argentina, and it's just a statement of fact. I think we all know they are called the Falklands everywhere else, no need to inform us of that. If you want to go off on an anti-media rant, you really have to do better than that.

I think it much more likely that British Falklanders will come to the aid of the Argentinians in the even of a disaster or major crisis.

The islands belong to Britain, as accepted by several Argentinian administrations. This saber rattling is nothing more than a ploy to extort funds from the exploration companies.

Argentina should be grateful for the tube manufacturing contract. Throw them a cookie for the use of their nearby facilities and all will be well.

Hmm... Sad, but I just agree with pretty much all that northlondon say. In my opinion the Falklands/Islas Malvinas is in Argentine pretty much like most islands here. A good excuse for rally nationalism before an election. The ultra-leftist administration in Argentine is so worthless like the govs in Cuba, Venezuela, Iran and NK. If there is another war I bet all my money to the britons.

When the people of European descent in Argentina give the country back to the natives, and pack up and move to Europe, the country their ancestors came from, well, on that day, I will wholeheartedly suggest the British leave the Falklands along with all inhabitants.

But as the situation stands, Argentina lost those islands well over 150 years ago, and its time to wake up and smell the history. In all of the messy history of the Falklands, only British rule has been neat, long and constant. If the people living there want Britian, then that's that, until the Argentinians abandon Argentina anyway.

Argentian claims to the Falklands are easily dismissed. The issue of drilling rights is more complex though.

Yep, the Kirchner's have ruined the Argentine economy so it's time to divert attention from their failing. Start a fuss over the Falklands -again. Gordon Brown could use a diversion himself, I expect the Royal Navy will be leaving port next week. Maybe Labor can win a snap election right after a few Argentine ships hit the bottom.

Idiots!

If you want to go off on an anti-media rant, you really have to do better than that.

And if you want to get up on your high horse defending the integrity of web news journalism, you really have to do better than choosing a website such as this. Try reading the second paragraph again before defending it. It doesn't make sense.

As the great Argentinian writer, Jorge Luis Borges said of the 1982 conflict, it's "two bald men fighting over a comb."

As the great Argentinian writer, Jorge Luis Borges said of the 1982 conflict, it's "two bald men fighting over a comb."

Cannot think of a better way to describe it.

258 British soldiers were killed

Close but no cigar - it was 255 British soldiers and 3 civilian islanders. A minor error but one which needs correcting given its significance following recent events in Helmand.

You can't steal what someone else has stolen. It becomes a mere matter of posession on top of continual fraud.

The oil dilemma is real though. -and should be rightfully stopped. UK needs to rightfully state their claim to oil in the region and their claim should be dismissed.

258 British soldiers were killed

255 professional British servicemen and 3 islanders died helping Thatcher win the General Election to be exact. Along with the hundreds of young Argentinian men who died. Thatcher and the Argentinian generals have blood on their hands. The British and the American secret service craftily left the gate open for the Argentinians to invade and knew all about their invasion plans.

gotta love it northlondon, you're always quick with a conspiracy theory...

British and the American secret service craftily left the gate open for the Argentinians to invade and knew all about their invasion plans.

Proof, please. Got a inquiry? A link to a peer reviewed paper? Or is this just more pablum that you've scraped off the curb?

northlondon: [The British and the American secret service craftily left the gate open for the Argentinians to invade and knew all about their invasion plans.]

Well I'm sure glad that we have these conspiracy crackers to tell us of US involvement and conspiracies just to start wars. Northlondon good on you mate. You're great skills in investigative journalism should be praised. And I'm sure the JT crowd will be here to do that. Where are you Mr. Smith?

Another Falklands war? I wonder how many weapons the Brits will ask the US for this time?

Midnightpromise, The Americans offered last time and Britain declined assistance.

@SendaiOzeki:Is very easy to see how much you underestimate the intelligence of Argentinians. I couldn`t expect less from a country that created the Apartheid, racism.

"I think it much more likely that British Falklanders will come to the aid of the Argentinians in the even of a disaster or major crisis."

Argentinians have had floods, and managed themselves, they have had earthquakes, and managed themselves.They go through a major economical crisis, yet they managed to send troops to help Haiti way before the earthquake. The fact that you think that a bunch of islanders will be able to "help" Argentinians in case of a disaster makes me feel sorry for you. Your ignorance is important, I hope it`s reversible.

"The islands belong to Britain, as accepted by several Argentinian administrations." I have NEVER heard of such thing. The facebook group of Malvinas counts with more than 200,000 users from all over the world. Facebook is less popular among Argentinians than Brits, yet your "falklands" group has fewer members. Please name those "Argentinian administrations" that supposedly "admitted" such thing, because I`m afraid you are lying. I have read letters of even British soldiers, and specially one of British general back in 1833 that reconized the legitimate Argentine sovereignty over the Islands.

You will never, I repeat NEVER, hear an Argentine soldier nor goverment say that Malvinas belong to you.

"This saber rattling is nothing more than a ploy to extort funds from the exploration companies."

I remind you the exploitation, ironically promoted by a group selfproclaimed "Ocean Guardian Tour" will pollute the ocean and the Argentinian sea. The sovereignty matter has NOT been solved, and your occupation is illegal. The oil in Malvinas belongs to the Argentine goverment. Besides, it surprises me that you call yourselves "ocean guardians" yet your democratic goverment banned users for posting pictures of fires produced by British greed nearby the coast of Malvinas.

"Argentina should be grateful for the tube manufacturing contract. Throw them a cookie for the use of their nearby facilities and all will be well."

The fact is, my ignorant nationalist friend, that the coockies were thrown by Argentina to the kelpers.Before the war began everything kelpers consumed was made and IMPORTED from Argentina, food, clothes, leather. After the war they had to find other way to get that stuff.See how ignorant you are?

@mareo: "A good excuse for rally nationalism before an election. The ultra-leftist administration in Argentine is so worthless like the govs in Cuba, Venezuela, Iran and NK. If there is another war I bet all my money to the britons."

Another ignorant rant from an ignorant nationalist user.The pseudo "leftist" goverment of Cristina Fernandez- which is actually a right wing populist- has practically disarmed the Argentinian army. They don`t care about recovering the islands, but the poeple DO. Those behind the project to stop the illegal drilling for oil in Malvinas has nothing to do with the goverment, and people who support that iniciative have different political views. In other words, inform yourself.

"Hmm... Sad, but I just agree with pretty much all that northlondon say. In my opinion the Falklands/Islas Malvinas is in Argentine pretty much like most islands here."

The islands are situated over the Argentine submarine platform, and that`s why no other Latin American country has claimed them. You and your country have absolutely no right of sovereignty there. You should learn a little bit of 1rst grade geography. Malvinas are in South America, beside the Argentine Republic, not in Northern Europe.

What kind of excuse did you tell Chinese when you talked about Hong Kong? And to Gandhi when you talked about India? Argentinians will NEVER stop claiming for what righfully belongs to their nation. I bet all my money to diplomacy, that is causing you a big pain in your arse.

@dearjohn

"When the people of European descent in Argentina give the country back to the natives, and pack up and move to Europe, the country their ancestors came from, well, on that day, I will wholeheartedly suggest the British leave the Falklands along with all inhabitants."

That is another demonstration of British ridiculous racialism and biggotry.

Argentinians are NOT European, they are Latin Anmerican. Do you think Maradona (I`m sure you still remember him) is European? Do you think Carlos Tevez is European?

The fact is that even though Argentina was made of "pure aryans" like you racists, a countrys right of SELF DETERMINATION and SOVEREIGNTY should never be violated. Argentina was already an independent country when Brits usurped the islands, another reason to call your pethtic and ignorant speech a LIE. Argentinians call themselves a"Crisol de Razas" or "melting pot". History tells that the founders of Argentina were in fact MESTIZO families, with Native American blood. So all your "give the land to the natives and then well talk" bullcrap is discriminative, unaccurate and foremost pointless.

"But as the situation stands, Argentina lost those islands well over 150 years ago, and its time to wake up and smell the history."

Argentina never lost anything, because it never stopped claming their LEGITIMATE sovereignty. There are treaties reconized by Britian and Spain that demonstrated once again British lies. The British "version" of the Nootka Sound Treaty lacks of several points that are stated in the Spanish and Argentinian versions.

" In all of the messy history of the Falklands, only British rule has been neat, long and constant."

WRONG. Malvinas Islands have had more than 33 ARGENTINIAN GOVERNORS. There were Argentinians Malvinenses living there, and they were thrown away in an ethnic cleansing done by British invadors. So you are lying, or you clearly don`t know much about history...Selective memory perhaps?

" If the people living there want Britian, then that's that, until the Argentinians abandon Argentina anyway."

Argentina wants its sovereignty respected.Our islands are not part of Britain nor "britian". Kelpers are treated like second class citizens by your own goverment. They were sent by British goverment down to a cold, solitary port in Argentinian overseas land to build up a fake population. The cruelty of using your own kind for territorial usurpation is beyond my understanding and I consider it colonialistic and revolting.

"Argentian claims to the Falklands are easily dismissed."

Our claims are ignored by your goverment, but can`t be dismissed. Insisting that the islands are "yours". Deep in your conciuosness and underneath all your racism and nationalism, you know that you have absolutely NO RIGHT to be there.

If you are not adopted, do you need to repeat "I´m my mother`s son!" NOP. Your behaviour tells it all.

"The issue of drilling rights is more complex though."

Of course it is, and but Argentinians themselves will make sure it will be even more difficult for you to steal our natural resources and pollute our coasts. Your "commonwealth" is shrinking, no more India, no more Hong Kong, no more Apartheid, soon it will be our time to set our nation FREE form you greed and nationalism. Gandhi got rid of you without weapons!

MALVINAS-GIBRALTAR-IRELAND will be free someday.

I see a bunch of people commenting here are not educated on the Falkland history.

Britian claimed the islands before Argetina got their independance in 1816. Britain nearlly fought the Spanish and French during the Falkland crisis over the islands but Spain said sorry due to lack of French support.

AntioligarKas you have no idea about the Falklands. They brain washed you into believing these islands are yours when all you did was invade British territory and set up a colony later which was destroyed by a American warship. The government of Argentina turn to the Falklands when their leadership is in doubt, they use this subject as a life line.

Britain first built a settlement on the island in 1766, Port Egmont. They later left the islands leaving a plaque saying we own these islands and left flying the British flag.

Argentina got independance in 1816. They have no claim. Your a bunch of fools believing your pathetic government.

You dared invade in '82 which left nearly 300 British soldiers and 3 civilians dead. You lost.

1828 - Argentina "claim" the islands which the British already claimed and owned.

1831 - US warship destroys the Argentina colony after Argentina capturing 3 US fishing boats. Revoking all rights of ownership of the islands

1832 - Argentina send new governor who was later KILLED in a MUTINY

1833 - Britain return and reestablish their claim

1982 - Argentina invade during a military junta which ends in defeat for the Argies, Britain increases their military to 1000 and Eurofighter jets.

Moderator: Please focus your comments on the current situation.

No matter how you cut it, Britain sent it's citizens far away to colonize a foreign land. It's not like NZ, OZ, Canada or S. Africa where there are so many that it would be impractical to repatriate them all to the British Isles. It's a small nation of 3140 people. It would be easy to take them back to rainy Britain and I'm sure they would be happy. Britain could resolve this very easily by repatriating these people but no she wants the oil all for herself. Typical of British to say how bad American companies are but ignoring the behavior of their own. If the Argentinians want it they can have it. I wouldn't go on a mission to support Britain in it's modern day Imperialism.

hmmm. how far apart are these islands? a looooong way, and so does her majesty's greed, 007. ditto for iraqistan also.

The Americans offered last time and Britain declined assistance.

Ah yes, that would explain why Reagan's Secretary of Defence, Caspar Weinberger, was later knighted for his role in the 1982 war effort.