WILLIAM HAGUE has branded Argentina’s claim to the Falklands a “fantasy” – and
vowed never to hand over the islands.
The Foreign Secretary scoffed at claims we would give them up within 20 years
and insisted they will stay British for CENTURIES.
He claimed threats by Buenos Aires bully boys had merely stiffened the resolve
of the islanders.
Mr Hague hit out after a week of intimidation from Argie leaders over
Falklands sovereignty.
He pledged the wishes of the 2,800 people who live there will be the only ones
which count.
In a hard-hitting interview with The Sun, he declared: “Britain is a country
which supports the right of people to determine their own future.
“There should never be a reward for bullying or threatening behaviour in
international affairs — just as there should; never be in our personal lives.
“This is a community that is nearly 200 years old. They seem very determined
to remain British.
“If there’s any chance they would change their minds, the approach by
Argentina is completely counterproductive.
“It only fortifies the islanders’ determination to stay British. It is only
going to add to the decades and centuries that the Falklands will remain
British.”
Mr Hague lashed out as relations between the two countries hit its lowest
since the 1982 Falklands war. Argie foreign minister Hector Timerman snubbed
his offer of talks — because islanders were also invited.
But the meeting went ahead with an empty chair at the table for the touchy
visitor. Mr Timerman — who claims Falkland islanders “do not exist” — was
plagued by disasters throughout his visit to London.
He shook hands with a stranger who presented him with a letter in the Commons,
only to learn he was Falklands assembly member Dick Sawle.
An observer said: “You would think the poor minister had suffered an electric
shock judging by the way he recoiled.”
And only a handful of people, including a Belgian poet, Leftie MP Jeremy
Corbyn and a retired Guardian journalist turned up to hear him speak.
Mr Hague described Mr Timerman’s inflammatory behaviour as an insult to the
islanders.
He said: “In the modern world, it is up to the people to choose whose
sovereignty they live under.
“The Falklanders will hold a referendum next month and we support that idea.
“It is very important for the foreign minister to begin to understand this.
These are people who have rights — just like those in the UK and Argentina.
“There isn’t some different category of people who don’t have any say about
their future and how they live. Mr Timerman made a couple of extraordinary
statements, one of which was that Falkland islanders don’t exist.
“I can tell him they very much do exist and they are in good heart and great
shape.
“I met two members of their assembly a few days ago and they, like us, are
determined about their future. It was a pity he wasn’t here.
“He had asked to see me and I was happy to meet him. But in any discussions
about the Falklands, the islanders will always be present.”
Sipping from a mug bearing the slogan Shut Up And Deal With It, he added: “To
compare the islands to settlers on the West Bank, which is an occupied land,
is ridiculous.
“I absolutely reject that comparison. There are families in the Falklands who
are in their ninth generation.
“The Falklands have been there longer than Argentina has had its current
boundaries or existed in its current form.”
Argentine president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has whipped up national
fervour over the Falklands to divert attention from domestic woes.
Officials refused to hold talks over fishing rights and oil exploration — and
have even tried to ban cruise ships from stopping at the islands.
Mr Hague said: “There was a time in the 1990s when there was a dialogue.
“But the current Government of Argentina has turned away from that dialogue
into a pattern of bullying and intimidatory behaviour towards the Falkland
Islands.
“I want them to know that this approach is completely counter-productive.
“It will never serve any purpose of Argentina. Refusing to talk about fishing
or oil is self-defeating.
“It would be better to talk to the islanders rather than deny their existence
or claim Argentina will have the islands within 20 years. These things are
fantasy.
“It would be far better for their country to be realistic about these things
and deal with a free people.”
Mr Hague visited the islands five years ago and said seeing the battlefields
had made him acutely aware of the sacrifice made by servicemen and women.
The war which followed the Argentine invasion cost 253 British lives and left
777 wounded.
“It’s a remote place,” he said, “and going there brings home the dogged spirit
of the islanders and how difficult those military operations were, so far
from the UK over islands that are difficult terrain.
“It fills you with admiration for our armed forces and what they did in 1982.
“Even the many young people who were not born at the time will have heard of
the sacrifices that were made.
“Argentina made an unprovoked attack on the Falklands and British servicemen
went there to defend the people of those islands and make sure they could
determine their own future.
“This has a lasting effect. We respect what our services do all over the world
and try to make sure what they have fought for is upheld.”
Mr Hague re-affirmed Britain’s commitment to defending the islands.
He said it was “appropriately” defended with 1,200 men — compared with just 70
at the time of the invasion.
A mega-runway means huge reinforcements could swiftly be flown in should
Argentina pose any real threat.
Mr Hague accused President Kirchner and her foreign minister of “misreading
the character” of British and Falklands people.
He said: “They are totally misreading the situation. Everything we have seen
and heard in the last week is the last thing that would ever work.
“It can be a distraction from internal political controversies and pressures,
of course.
“But let me be clear, we shall never negotiate about the sovereignty of the
islands, unless the islanders wish it.
“We do want to discuss Argentina’s behaviour towards the Falklands but they
refuse to have such dialogue, as the empty chair over there this week shows.
“And as they now know, the idea of trying to isolate the islands and tell them
they have no future will not work.”