Milei says 'winds of change' favor Argentina in Falklands row

BUENOS AIRES: President Javier Milei said on Thursday (Sep 3) that "winds of change" favored Argentina's claim to the Falkland Islands, pointing to Washington's readiness to review its neutrality on his country's dispute with Britain as a possible game-changer.

Britain and Argentina fought a 10-week war over the South Atlantic archipelago, which Argentines refer to as Las Malvinas, in 1982.

The fate of the islands hit headlines again in recent days, with US President Donald Trump threatening to wade into the dispute and an British-Israeli oil project near the islands causing anger in Argentina.

In a solemn address on national TV, Milei assured Argentina would not "stand idly by" in the face of the project and announced sanctions on firms linked to oil extraction "in Argentine territory under British occupation."

"There are winds of change in the world that are favorable to our claim," he said, alluding to Trump's threat to withdrew support for Britain's sovereignty.

Control of the Falklands is a highly emotive issue in Argentina, even though the islanders themselves voted overwhelmingly in 2013 to remain British.

Argentina players held up a banner saying "The Falklands are Argentine" after beating England 2-1 in the World Cup semi-final earlier this year.

On Tuesday, Argentine Falklands War veterans and environmental lawyers filed a lawsuit to halt the project, which is promoted by the British company Rockhopper and the Israeli company Navitas.

Milei said the project violated a United Nations resolution calling on both sides to desist from unilateral actions in the islands.

"If we allow it, we will be creating an incentive for the British government to deepen the occupation of the islands and the exploitation of our resources," he said.

He added that companies involved in Falklands' projects "behind the back of the Argentine government" would be barred from operating in Argentine territory.

His address came as his approval ratings plummet, just over a year before he seeks re-election.

Polls show only around 34 per cent of Argentines supporting his drastic belt-tightening and deregulation policies.

IRAN WAR LINK

Trump's announcement Monday that the United States is reviewing its position on the Falkland Islands came amid reports Washington is threatening to oppose Britain's sovereignty if it does not increase defense spending.

In an interview Thursday with the British network GB News Trump criticised London's lack of military support for his war with Iran and refused to confirm whether he would back Britain in a potential new dispute with Argentina.

The last war in 1982 "was a long time ago," he remarked.

"The Falklands issue serves Trump's purpose of pressuring the United Kingdom to comply with his demands regarding NATO funding and cooperation in the war in Iran," Tomas Mugica, director of the Center for International Studies at the Catholic University of Argentina, told AFP.

BRITAIN ON "PATH OF DECLINE"

Milei presented Washington's review of its stance as a vindication of his policies and full-throated support for the Trump administration.

"The United States is considering this change of position because it knows that Argentina has a reliable partner," he said.

Britain, by contrast, is "on a path of decline" he said, alleging it faced "multiple migratory, demographic, and economic crises."

The Falklands War began when Argentine forces invaded the islands in April 1982, prompting then-British prime minister Margaret Thatcher to send a naval task force to reclaim them.

The war left 649 Argentines, 255 Britons and three islanders dead.