Mientras tanto, en las Malvinas...

Los ingleses “temen” una escalada bélica argentina sobre las Malvinas, por lo que reforzarán su presencia militar en las islas, nos cuenta el inefable Telegraph esta semana. Mmmmmm... Nos preguntamos qué significa todo esto. Acá va la nota, junto con otras dos, del año pasado, a las cuales remite el artículo.

Título: Britain to send more troops to the Falklands to counter 'heightened' invasion threat from Argentina

Subtítulo: Michael Fallon, the defence secretary, will announce plans to bolster the Falkland Islands garrison

           

Texto: The South American nation is feared to be increasing military expenditure, according to reports. Senior ministers in the country have also made a series of increasingly aggressive statements about the islands in recent years.

A Whitehall source told the Sun newspaper: "The Defence Secretary's decision reflects our operational judgments and the heightened nature of the threat."

A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence added: "There is a defence review and an announcement will be made about it. There will be a full statement by Michael Fallon."

Military analysts have previously argued that without an aircraft carrier, Harrier jump jets or the ability to deploy a task force, the islands could be seen as an easy target for Argentina.

Defence Secretary Michael Fallon (David Rose for the Telegraph)

Buenos Aires has intensified its claim since oil exploration began. In 2011 its president, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, called David Cameron "arrogant" for insisting the islands will remain British as long as their inhabitants wish to.

British oil company Rockhopper Exploration revealed significant discoveries of oil, which it says are enough oil to make the Falklands a significant production centre.

Arturo Puricelli, Argentina's defence minister, previously declared that British vessels were "contaminating" the south Atlantic and pledged to fight for the Falkland Islands, known in Argentina as the "Islas Malvinas".

Speaking on state TV, Puricelli said: "We don't want [the British] to come here to make this unnecessary show of military strength. We have no doubt at all that we are going to recover our Malvinas islands. The international community will support us."

The British government last year rejected calls to sit down with Argentina to negotiate sovereignty over the islands.

The 24-nation Decolonisation Committee passed a resolution calling on Britain and Argentina to negotiate a solution to the dispute over the south Atlantic archipelago, essentially favouring Argentina’s stance in the two-century old dispute.

"The UK’s position on the UN’s decolonisation process is well-known. We regret that the UN Decolonisation Committee continues with its outdated approach,” said a Foreign Office spokesman at the time.

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Título: China backs Argentina's position on Falkland Islands

Subtítulo: Chinese support calls at two-day G77 summit for the governments of Argentina and the UK to resume negotiations on 'the Malvinas Islands question'

Texto: China has endorsed Argentina's position over the Falkland Islands affirming that the current situation "seriously harms the economic capacity of Argentina".

During the two-day G77 summit held at the weekend in Santa Cruz, Bolivia at which China was a "special invitee", a statement was unanimously approved supporting Argentina's calls for dialogue to solve the "Malvinas Islands question".

"We reaffirm the need for the governments of Argentina and the UK to resume negotiations on the 'Malvinas Islands question' in conformity with the principles and objectives of the United Nations and pertinent resolutions, so as to find a timely, peaceful solution to the sovereignty dispute related to the 'Malvinas Islands question'," the statement read.

It stated that the current situation "seriously harms the economic capacity of Argentina" and reaffirmed "the need for both sides to abstain from making decisions that involve the introduction of unilateral modifications to the situation, while the Islands are in the middle of the process recommended by the UN General Assembly".

It is not the first time China has pledged support to Argentina in its claims over the Malvinas, as they are known in Spanish. In return Argentina acknowledges China's sovereignty over the island of Taiwan.

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Título: Falkland Islands UN resolution siding with Argentina 'outdated' and 'not relevant', says Britain

Subtítulo: United Nations committee resolution calling on Britain and Argentina to negotiate a Falkland Islands solution - essentially favouring Argentina’s stance - dismissed by Foreign Office

Texto: The UN passed a resolution calling on Britain and Argentina to negotiate a solution to the dispute over the Falklands

The UK dismissed a resolution calling for dialogue with Argentina over the Falkland Islands which was approved by a UN committee on Thursday insisting that the “decolonisation” process was “outdated” and “no longer relevant”.

The 24-nation Decolonisation Committee passed a resolution calling on Britain and Argentina to negotiate a solution to the dispute over the south Atlantic archipelago, essentially favouring Argentina’s stance in the two-century old feud.

But the British government again rejected calls to sit down with Argentina to negotiate sovereignty over the islands.

"The UK’s position on the UN’s decolonisation process is well-known. We regret that the UN Decolonisation Committee continues with its outdated approach,” a spokesman from the FCO told the Telegraph.

“The Decolonisation Committee no longer has a relevant role to play with respect to British Overseas Territories. They all have a large measure of self government, have chosen to retain their links with the UK, and therefore should have been delisted a long time ago.”