smudgedj
Well-Known Member
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8518982.stm
Argentina has announced new controls on shipping through its waters to the Falkland Islands in a growing dispute over British oil drilling plans. A permit will be needed by ships using Argentine waters en route to the Falklands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands - all UK controlled. The UK Foreign Office said the Falkland Islands' waters were controlled by its authorities and would not be affected. Argentina has protested to the UK about oil exploration due to begin this year. Buenos Aires claims sovereignty over the Falkland Islands, which it calls Islas Malvinas. It has previously threatened that any company exploring for oil and gas in the waters around the territory will not be allowed to operate in Argentina.
The sabre-rattling over oil is just the latest episode in a dispute that's remained unresolved since the Falklands War.
Last week, a ship carrying drilling equipment was detained by Argentine officials.
BBC world affairs correspondent Peter Biles says Argentine anger has been "brewing for a while". "The sabre-rattling over oil in the South Atlantic is just the latest episode in a dispute that's remained unresolved since the Falklands War nearly 28 years ago," he said.
After Argentina's invasion of the islands in 1982, a UK taskforce seized back control in a short war that claimed the lives of 649 Argentine and 255 British soldiers.
'Defence of resources'
On Tuesday, Argentine President Cristina Fernandez signed a decree requiring all vessels travelling between Argentina and the islands, or those that want to cross Argentine territorial waters en route to the Falklands, to seek prior permission. Cabinet Chief Anibal Fernandez said the decree sought to achieve "not only a defence of Argentine sovereignty but also of all the resources" in the area. He said the measure also applied to vessels going to the other nearby UK-controlled islands in the South Atlantic - South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands.
We want, and have offered, to co-operate on South Atlantic issues. We will work to develop this relationship further UK Foreign Office statement.
It is not clear whether Argentina intends waters surrounding the disputed islands, considered part of the British Overseas Territories, to be subject to the new controls. Buenos Aires believes that the UK is illegally occupying the Falklands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. Last year it submitted a claim to the United Nations for a vast expanse of ocean, based on research into the extent of the continental shelf, stretching to the Antarctic and including the island chains governed by Britain. Following the Argentine presidential decree, a UK Foreign Office statement said:
"Regulations governing Argentine territorial waters are a matter for the Argentine authorities.
"This does not affect Falkland Islands territorial waters which are controlled by the island authorities." It added that the UK and Argentina were "important partners" with a "close and productive relationship". "We want, and have offered, to co-operate on South Atlantic issues. We will work to develop this relationship further," the statement said.
A drilling rig from the Scottish highlands, the Ocean Guardian, is due to arrive this week and drilling could begin within months.
Geologists think the South Atlantic ocean bed surrounding the Falklands could contain rich energy reserves.
Argentina has announced new controls on shipping through its waters to the Falkland Islands in a growing dispute over British oil drilling plans. A permit will be needed by ships using Argentine waters en route to the Falklands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands - all UK controlled. The UK Foreign Office said the Falkland Islands' waters were controlled by its authorities and would not be affected. Argentina has protested to the UK about oil exploration due to begin this year. Buenos Aires claims sovereignty over the Falkland Islands, which it calls Islas Malvinas. It has previously threatened that any company exploring for oil and gas in the waters around the territory will not be allowed to operate in Argentina.
The sabre-rattling over oil is just the latest episode in a dispute that's remained unresolved since the Falklands War.
Last week, a ship carrying drilling equipment was detained by Argentine officials.
BBC world affairs correspondent Peter Biles says Argentine anger has been "brewing for a while". "The sabre-rattling over oil in the South Atlantic is just the latest episode in a dispute that's remained unresolved since the Falklands War nearly 28 years ago," he said.
After Argentina's invasion of the islands in 1982, a UK taskforce seized back control in a short war that claimed the lives of 649 Argentine and 255 British soldiers.
'Defence of resources'
On Tuesday, Argentine President Cristina Fernandez signed a decree requiring all vessels travelling between Argentina and the islands, or those that want to cross Argentine territorial waters en route to the Falklands, to seek prior permission. Cabinet Chief Anibal Fernandez said the decree sought to achieve "not only a defence of Argentine sovereignty but also of all the resources" in the area. He said the measure also applied to vessels going to the other nearby UK-controlled islands in the South Atlantic - South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands.
We want, and have offered, to co-operate on South Atlantic issues. We will work to develop this relationship further UK Foreign Office statement.
It is not clear whether Argentina intends waters surrounding the disputed islands, considered part of the British Overseas Territories, to be subject to the new controls. Buenos Aires believes that the UK is illegally occupying the Falklands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. Last year it submitted a claim to the United Nations for a vast expanse of ocean, based on research into the extent of the continental shelf, stretching to the Antarctic and including the island chains governed by Britain. Following the Argentine presidential decree, a UK Foreign Office statement said:
"Regulations governing Argentine territorial waters are a matter for the Argentine authorities.
"This does not affect Falkland Islands territorial waters which are controlled by the island authorities." It added that the UK and Argentina were "important partners" with a "close and productive relationship". "We want, and have offered, to co-operate on South Atlantic issues. We will work to develop this relationship further," the statement said.
A drilling rig from the Scottish highlands, the Ocean Guardian, is due to arrive this week and drilling could begin within months.
Geologists think the South Atlantic ocean bed surrounding the Falklands could contain rich energy reserves.