'We'll do everything to protect the Falklands': Cameron refuses to rule out military action after desperate Argentine president places newspaper ads on '180th anniversary of colonialism'



Open letter appears in the Guardian and Independent newspapers

Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner says UK 'stole' the islands



Outburst marks the anniversary of the islands becoming British territory



David Cameron refused to rule out military action yesterday as he rebuked Argentina over its grab for the Falkland Islands.

The Prime Minister vowed the UK would ‘do everything’ to protect the interests of the territory after Buenos Aires demanded he hand power to them.



He said the sovereignty of the Falklands would be up to those who lived there when they hold a referendum in March.



He added it was ‘really important’ for countries around the world to ‘sit up and notice’ the result – certain to be overwhelmingly in favour of retaining ties with Britain.

War of words: President of Argentina, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, pictured left, accuses Britain of stealing the Falkland Islands in an open letter addressed to Prime Minister David Cameron

The remarks came after Argentina’s president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner launched a fresh attack by insisting her nation was ‘forcibly stripped’ of the Falklands in a ‘blatant exercise of 19th century colonialism’ – a claim branded ‘crazy’ by Whitehall officials.



In an open letter to Mr Cameron, published as an advert in Left-wing newspapers on the 180th anniversary of the alleged January 1833 takeover, she accused the UK of defying United Nations resolutions by refusing negotiations over the Falklands.

But in a strong message which risked angering Buenos Aires, Number 10 made clear Britain would respond with force if threats to the islands emerged.



A source said: ‘This is not a military situation but there is no doubt that we can defend the islands. The people of the Falkland Islands should be just left alone.’



Falkland Islanders last night issued their own open letter addressed to the Argentinean president.



PAX BRITANNICA: BRITISH COLONIAL EXPANSION IN THE 19TH CENTURY

In the 1830s Britain was arguably at the height of its colonial power. The jewel in the crown was India while Canada, Australia as well as key parts of Africa including Egypt and the Cape Colony were all under the Union Flag.

In South America, Britain captured three colonies from the Dutch in 1796 which were officially ceded in 1814, and consolidated into a single colony, known as British Guiana in 1831.

The period between 1815 and 1914, is often referred to as Britain's 'imperial century' with around 10,000,000 square miles of territory and roughly 400 million people were added to the British Empire.

After the defeat of Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, Britain's only serious international rival was Russia.

Overwhelming naval supremacy led to a state of affairs known as 'Pax Britannica', with Britain adopting the role of global policeman and enjoying a foreign policy dubbed 'splendid isolation'.

Because Britain exerted such influence in world trade, the economies of countries such as China and Argentina were effectively controlled from London. The term 'informal empire', is used by historians to describe this state of affairs.



A group labelling themselves Falklands United said: ‘We look forward to our referendum in March and failure on your part to accept the outcome will prove to the world that there is only one colonial power in the region.’



The letter added: ‘We have never been prouder of our association with the United Kingdom and our unique relationship. Any decision to change that would be OUR and not YOUR choice.’



Britain has four warships, four RAF fighter-bombers and a 1,000-strong garrison on the Falklands, which are still claimed by Argentina despite their crushing defeat in the 1982 war which cost 255 British lives.



Mr Cameron insisted the islanders should be granted the right to self-determination under the UN.



He said: ‘They’re holding a referendum this year and I hope the president of Argentina will listen to that referendum and recognise it is for the Falkland Islanders to choose their future.’



Dick Sawle, a member of the Falklands’ Legislative Assembly, said: ‘The letter sent by president Kirchner is not only historically inaccurate but fails to mention the most significant aspect of our recent history – the attempt by Argentina to take away our home by military force when they invaded.’



Diplomatic friction between Britain and Argentina has increased since 2010, when the Government authorised oil exploration in the waters near the islands.



Last year Buenos Aires accused the UK of ‘militarising’ the South Atlantic after Prince William’s posting as an RAF search-and-rescue helicopter pilot.



Diplomats believe president Kirchner is using sovereignty claims to deflect attention from unpopular social and economic policies.



The International Monetary Fund has also threatened to expel the country for cloaking in secrecy its inflation and growth data.



Britain's Foreign Office rejected Fernandez's call for negotiations, sticking to London's long-established stance that the approximately 3,000 people of the Falkland Islands had chosen to be British.

'There are three parties to this debate, not just two as Argentina likes to pretend. The islanders can't just be written out of history,' the Foreign Office said.

'As such, there can be no negotiations on the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands unless and until such time as the islanders so wish.'

The British Task force reached the South Atlantic in May 1982 and retook South Georgia before preparing to retake the main Islands.



The Argentinean Air force sank several British ships, and Exocet missiles sank the destroyer HMS Sheffield and the Atlantic Conveyor.



A copy of Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner's letter to David Cameron

The Falklands: Diplomatic friction between Britain and Argentina has intensified since 2010, when the Government authorised oil exploration in the waters near the islands Many other ships were damaged, some badly with considerable loss of life, but the sinking of Argentinean Cruiser the General Belgrano by a British Submarine was considered a turning point.

The British fought their way across the island with an Argentine surrender on June 14, 1982. The British lost 250 men and took more than 10,000 prisoners of war, while the Argentines lost 746, of which 368 had been on the Belgrano when it sank. Fernandez said her open letter was timed to coincide with the 180th anniversary of the day when Argentina was 'forcibly stripped' of the islands in what she called a 'blatant exercise of 19th century colonialism'. Noting that the islands were located 14,000 km (8,700 miles) from London, Fernandez accused Britain of expelling Argentines from the islands and carrying out a 'population implantation process'. Britain disputes that version of history. It says no civilian population was expelled from the Falklands on or after Jan. 3, 1833.

Fernandez's allegations were made in an open letter addressed to David Cameron and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. They are the latest in a string of inflammatory rants over the islands’ future and come less than ten weeks before around 1,500 eligible islanders hold the first ever vote on whether they want to remain British. The referendum set for March 10-11, overseen by international observers, is widely expected to send a clear message to Argentina to keep its hands off. That would be a humiliation for President Kirchner who has used sovereignty claims to deflect attention from unpopular social and economic policies.

The sinking of the Belgrano: Crewmen of the Argentine Cruiser General Belgrano escape in life rafts when it was sunk on May 2nd 1982 a key moment in the Falklands War

President Fernandez shows a plaque with the name 'Islas Malvinas' (left) and a man sets fire to an effigy of Prince William during a commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the Falklands War in April last year



It would also underpin the UN principle of ‘self-determination’ for the people of the Falklands.



In the letter, President Kirchner said Argentina was ‘forcibly stripped’ of the islands it calls Las Malvinas in a ‘blatant exercise of 19th century colonialism’. She added that ‘Argentines on the islands were expelled and the UK began a population implementation process similar to that applied to other territories under colonial rule’.

Recipient: The President's letter was also addressed to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon

She added: ‘Since then, Britain, the colonial power, has refused to return the territories to the Argentine Republic.’ The Foreign Office ‘strenuously denied’ the claims and accused Argentina of trying to ‘write the Falkland islanders out of history’.



Whitehall sources said the Government could order Sir Mark Lyall Grant, Britain’s ambassador to the UN, to rebut the ‘crazy’ allegations.



In a speech to the UN last year, Sir Mark criticised Argentina’s ‘aggressive territorial aspirations’ over the Falklands and said its claims were ‘without foundation’.



He said: ‘No civilian population was expelled on 3 January 1833 and the United Kingdom has never implanted any civilian population.’



Diplomatic friction between Britain and Argentina has intensified since 2010, when the Government authorised oil exploration in the waters near the islands.

The letter was published in the Guardian and the Independent newspapers. It appears to have provoked an angry reaction from some islanders.

Several messages have appeared on Twitter purporting to be from islanders condemning the papers' decision to publish them.

One message to the Guardian read: 'Any particular reason why you continue to publish literature from someone that refuses to accept our existence?'











