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Argentina says Britain has nuclear weapons in Falklands

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It's rather ironic (sad) how you defend the right of ownership of the Falklands to the British

@Yubaru: No one says the British owns the Falklands. The people of the Falklands own the Falklands. And those people want to be British by their choice. They do not want to be Argentine.

who have no ethnic links to the island

The island had no people until Europeans arrived. The first known settlement was French. That colony passed to Spain. Then everybody left. Then a new British colony was started in 1840. Most people on the island from that time have British ancestry. Anyone who can use a search engine can find these facts.

Besides, do you think the Argentines have such links? And on the other hand, are you aware that South American Indian tribes owned the land now called Argentina? Talk about having no ethnic links!

7 ( +9 / -1 )

The ancestors of the Falkland Islanders have lived there longer than many of the ancestors of the current Argentine president have lived in Argentina. Certainly longer than the Japanese have been in Hokkaido or Ogasawara or the Americans in Alaksa. Argentina's claims are based on the hope that a post-colonial era UK will have no desire to defend a colony so far from London. The Argentine president should realise that in this post-colonial world, nations and territories should have the right of self-determination, whatever form that takes.

7 ( +7 / -0 )

“It is the last ocean that is controlled from the UK. Britannia rules only applies in the South Atlantic.”

No it ain't, they control Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean and the Pitcain Islands in the Pacific

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Yuvaru,

I think you missed this point:

Britain has reaffirmed its stance in recent days that there can be no negotiations over the future of the islands unless the 3,000 Falklands inhabitants want it.

And then think about who wants to be colonised by who.

The people of the Falkland Islands want to be a British Overseas territory and until that day changes they should be.

5 ( +7 / -2 )

This is taking nostalgia too far.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Argentina has no links or rightful claims over these islands. Japan even has a bigger influence there than Argentina - indeed more Japanese people live there than Argies. I knew life was grim in Argentina but I did not know they had sunk this low to have to make up lies and ridiculous claims. Probably heading for another coup?

3 ( +3 / -0 )

If Argentina hadn't started up the belligerent rhetoric over the past couple of years it's likely there would still only be a token defence force in the Falklands.

Besides, unless Argentina is worried that the British are planning to invade or attack Argentina I don't see what business it is of theirs what goes on in the Falklands.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Argentina wants the oil and after the invasion it would ethic cleanse the population. The UK should send even more ships, aircraft and troops. Strength will pursue the censored from invading.

2 ( +6 / -4 )

No-one has an ethnic link to them. Generations of people have lived there though, and it is home to them and their ancestors.

These islands are not "the last refuge/bastion of the Empire".

It's just a pretty figure of speech.

2 ( +3 / -2 )

After talks with Timerman, Ban “expressed concern about the increasingly strong exchanges between the governments of Argentina and the United Kingdom,”

This a case where Ban should just tell the Argentine representatives to sit down and shut up and stop wasting everyone's time and energy over their stupid failed land grab attempt 30 years ago. I would be on the verge of asking for a vote to toss those jerks from the U.N. if I was chief! Part of settling disputes means there actually has be a dispute, and making things up out of thin air does not qualify!

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Good to read quite sensible comments on this page. Unfortunately the average person with little understanding of the issue would assume that the Falklands are like a pre-97 Hong Kong, that need to be returned to their "rightful" owners. In fact, the real remnant of colonialism is Argentina itself.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

So long as the Falklanders want to remain under British Sovereign rule then there's nothing to discuss. Kirchner isn't remotely as stupid nor as committed as Galtieri was so she is playing the only hand left available; tub thumping, sabre-rattling rhetoric. Although her Foreign Minister must have a pretty weak grasp of global military affairs if he thinks the UK will reveal the whereabouts of her nukes so readily. Loonbag!

2 ( +2 / -0 )

This is just an obvious opportunistic PR move on Argentin's part on the anniversary of their invasion attempt. No one really buys their reasoning. Sure some regional pact banded together to say they support Argentin's claim --but that's just some superficial "solidarity" nonsense. I mean, what, is Portugal going to go back to Brazil and say, hey you, guess what, you're ours! That's basically the logic they're using.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

http://www.gereports.com/ge-hitachi-nuclear-energy-proposed-to-turn-worlds-biggest-civilian-plutonium-stockpile-into-electricity/

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Nandandamanda, your article is from 2002. The GE article above (JT needs an edit button) is from December 2011.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Considering the UK has the world's largest stockpile of plutonium, I wouldn't put it past them.

C'mon Ted - I'm sure you are a man of reason like the rest of us and trust the Brits over the Argies. It is very likely that 30 years after being OWNED by the Brits in the dispute the Argies are rattling the cage again in their unstable joint as there is political unrest - possibly a coup de tat coming up - the Falkland Islanders have zero interest in Argentina.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Anlootaku is on to something, I think it is better than fighting again in a war, nobody needs more wars now, or better said, I do hope and pray Argentina and the UK can avoid another stupid war.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

anglootaku - You raise a good point here with regards to the Islands being fully independent. Ultimately the Falkland islands are an autonomously governing state, however as they are so small a territory with such a small population they would find it difficult to become a fully independent nation, let alone be able to defend themselves against future (and let's be honest extremely likely) Argentine predations.

Ultimately those who live on the islands have the right to self determination which is protected and enshrined within UK law. The UK government has no popular mandate to negotiate sovereignty against the will of the inhabitants.

In effect the people of the Falklands choose to be a British overseas territory, and surely it's their right to continue to do so for as long as they wish?

The Argentinians complain that the British are militarising the area, yet when Britain de-militarised the islands totally in 1982 when they withdrew their last remaining naval vessel it sparked the 1982 Falklands war. Britain is in effect more obliged now than ever before to defends it's people from conquest by an unfriendly and unwelcome state.

It's encouraging that so many people here see the reason within this. Ultimately this isn't about supporting the UK over Argentina, it's about supporting the Islanders to defend their right to determine their own future in the world.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Argentina wants the oil and after the invasion it would ethic cleanse the population. The UK should send even more ships, aircraft and troops. Strength will pursue the censored from invading.

It's rather ironic (sad) how you defend the right of ownership of the Falklands to the British who have no ethnic links to the island and are purely keeping the Falklands as the last bastion of their empire, yet refuse to acknowledge that Okinawa is a part of Japan, which the people are ethnically and somewhat culturally the same.

0 ( +7 / -7 )

Is it a nuclear powered submarine or a submarine with nuclear weapons?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Both I think.

It's was allegedly carrying the Trident nuclear missiles.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

If the islands are 430 km out in the Atlantic how do they qualify as "South America"?

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Sorry. My bad. They are over 1,000 miles away from Argentina.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

There's a graph on this page here. http://www.isis-online.org/isis-reports/detail/plutonium-watch-tracking-plutonium-inventories/17

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Well said there, Ah_so!

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Weapons of Mass Destruction right there..

0 ( +1 / -1 )

I think if the colonial past wants to move on, the people of the Falkland island should just become a republic and severe ties to the UK, that way both parties can agree on a republic to decide for itself, not the UK nor Argentina..

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Its not just the Falklands the Argies are claiming. They also claim South Georgia and the Sandwich Islands as well as parts of Antactica.

You would have to have been sniffing glue for years to imagine the Argies have legitimate claims there. Some might be exused for thinking proximity has something to do with the Falklands claim. But it doesn't or the Argies could also claim parts of Chile and Brazil. But all of the Argies claims are crazy, just some even more than others.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Highly unlikely to be one of the 4 subs carrying Tridents. Operationally useless (does anyone realistically think the british would use a nuclear weapon on B.A?) and risky (not to mention extremely expensive) if the sub gets sunk. Probably an astute class hunter killer. Britain has no carriers any more so it cant launch a task force should argentina take the islands. Bitains only option is to stop the argentine attack before it gets to the islands. Hence a hunter killer sub, the new type 45 destroyer and 4 typhoons.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Double oops!!! Right the first time. Nuts. It depends on which website you use!!!

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Considering the UK has the world's largest stockpile of plutonium, I wouldn't put it past them.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

No sh** Argentina wants the oil and that isn't the worst of it. My understanding is Argentina places a 100% tax on a barrel of oil above the sale price of $45. This so-called "profit cap" is really a big money grab by the inept, socialist government of Argentina. It isn't so much the oil they want, but the massive tax revenues that come from $90+/barrel oil. In light of this confiscatory taxation, you can bet the powers that be will never let the Falklands and their oil (and their squid) fall into the hands of Argentina. In this case, I side with the powers that be.

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

Yubaru, it is not the same at all. The present population has lived there for 170 years, Argentina has a very weak claim to the islands. There last invasion was defeated in 1982. What you forget is the people want to be a part of the UK. How can you compare this to Okinawa? The culture of the people of Okinawa is different and we are not ethic Japanese. Having said that I think Okinawa should remain part of Japan. We just want the same privileges that the other prefectures enjoy. Tokyo could never get away with this with them.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

I do hope this does not escalate again into some idiotic war, and that the UK has more brains than to take nuclear weapons into Latin America, ALL of Latin America signed a pact many years ago not to allow nuclear weapons in Latin America, after Cuba thought it would be cool to allow Russian nuclear weapons to be stationed there. So we must get together and BOYCOTT any UK products to avoid any violence.

-8 ( +1 / -9 )

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