Falklands at the center of dispute between UK and Argentina

All 32 Latin American and Caribbean leaders who attended a Rio group summit, just over in Cancun, Mexico, have unanimously backed Argentina in its dispute with Britain over the Falkland Islands.

The Cancun summit produced no official declaration, although Mexican President Felipe Calderon has been reported as saying a document had been drawn up. What is important, after all, is that regional leaders condemned Britain’s position on the Falklands and supported Argentine’s.  Nevertheless, the summit’s decision was opposed by London and the Falklands proper.

Britain keeps saying it proceeds from the interests of Falklands’ residents, who should have the right of self-determination, including on the matter of oil drilling around the archipelago. Oil exploration work off the Falkland Islands is largely to blame for the current aggravation in relations between Argentina and the UK. Drilling for oil 100 kilometers north of the islands is already under way, and the Argentine Foreign Ministry filed a protest at the beginning of this month over exploratory oil drilling in the Argentine continental shelf zone. Two weeks ago the Argentine authorities blocked the loading of pipes they believed were bound for the Falklands.

Britain responded with putting its ships near the Falklands on high alert. Prime Minister Gordon Brown warned that the British military deployed in the South Atlantic would repulse any attempts to cut Falklands off the rest of the world. In a word, tensions between Argentina and the UK rose to their highest in the past few days and the two sides have passed from cross-talk to muscle flexing.

On Wednesday Argentine Foreign Minister Jorge Taiana met with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to discuss the sovereignty dispute and ask Mr. Ban to exert pressure on Britain over the Falklands. Argentina claims the drilling is illegal and is a breach of its sovereignty. Britain has no intention to discuss the Falklands at all. UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband says claims by the Argentine authorities are groundless and oil exploration off the Falkland Islands is “fully within international law”.