Rhetoric Increases as Falkland Referendum Looms

A sign in Argentina reads: 'The Falklands are Argentinian.'
A sign in Argentina reads: ‘The Falklands are Argentinian.’ Photo: Gilmar Mattos/flickr

Next month will determine the eventual fate of the Falkland Islands—and the 1.4 billion barrels of oil so far discovered there—when a referendum on self-determination is held.

In the run-up to that referendum, Argentina has stepped up the rhetoric, most recently with the Argentine Foreign Minister claiming that within 20 years, the Falkland Islands will be entirely under Argentina’s control.

UK Foreign Secretary William Hague has responded by calling this a counterproductive “fantasy”. Hague says the government of Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has refused diplomatic dialogue and chosen instead a path of “bullying”.