last time I heard, the islands were british by right of conquest in the falklands war. IIRC argentina signed them away as part of the peace process.
how many times will the british have to slap the argentines around before they finally get it?
Argentinians and “finally get it” are oxymorons, hee hee.
How absurd.
Negotiate what ?
It's a new day in Washington D.C. Obama is ready to help the sun set on the British Empire. Can't let silly treaties get in the way.
The history of the Falklands is both clear from the record and foggy from Argentine revisionism.
The islands were first sighted by the English vessel “Desire” in 1592. The first recorded landing was by the English in 1690. Captain John Strong named them the Falkland Islands after Lord Falkland, a major financier of his voyage.
The Falklands principal value was as a resupply station for English ships rounding Cape Horn. The race for dominance in developing the new world made them a desirable plum for not only England, but France, Spain and Holland.
The colonial upstarts in America may have contributed to the controversy by their rebellion against England. In 1776 the British left the outpost, in their view temporarily. In addition to being an economic decision forced by the necessity of focusing naval power on the rebellion in the American colonies, some historians credit an outbreak of disease as a cause.
The British left plaques on their headquarters in the Falklands stating their intention of maintaining their of continued sovereignty over the islands and declaring their intention to return in short order.
Argentina, which became free from Spain in 1816, claims that they inherited the Islands because in addition to France, Holland and sealers from various other countries, the Spanish had temporarily occupied the islands before the British returned.
The British claim is that one doesn’t loose the right to his home because he left to visit his parents or to go to the supermarket or the hospital.
The Argentine claim is that if you ring another’s doorbell and get no response, you can break in and claim squatters rights of de-facto ownership.
It is true that the British won the modern Falklands War, and Argentina signed away it’s claim as a result, but the Argentines haven’t gotten it yet.
When I was last in Buenos Aires about ten years ago, there was still a big sign on the way to the airport, “Las Malvinas Son Argentinas,” i.e., “The [Falklands] are really the Malvinas and are ours.”
Kinda like Fat Albert’s claim that he really won Florida.....