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Argentine govt reiterates claim to Malvinas Islands

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-01-03 14:36

BUENOS AIRES -- Argentine President Cristina Fernandez reiterated her country's claim on Friday to the disputed Malvinas Islands on the occasion of the 176th anniversary of Britain's "illegal occupation" of the territory.

The president said Britain's refusal to tackle the issue was "unjustified."

The Malvinas Islands in southern Atlantic near the Argentine coast are called the Falklands by Britons.

The Argentine National Constitution has stated that to recover the full exercise of sovereignty over those lands and waters are the country's permanent pursuit, said the Foreign Ministry in a statement.

The statement added that the area is an integral part of Argentine territory.

Argentina has temporarily achieved an understanding with Britain to safeguard the territory in a bid to create a favorable environment to resume negotiations to settle the dispute, according to the Argentine side.

However, Britain has refused to face the issue of sovereignty and continued to take unilateral act, which violates the spirit of the bilateral understanding, the Argentine government said.

The British government has made an unilateral act by approving a new constitution for the disputed Malvinas Islands, which infringes upon Argentina's sovereignty and violates related UN resolutions, it added.

It is Argentina's permanent pursuit to resume negotiations with Britain to solve the issue and put an end to the "anachronistic colonial situation unsuitable with the course and evolution of the modern world," it said.

The disputed Malvinas Islands were occupied by the British forces in 1833. Argentina fought a 74-day war with Britain in 1982 over the sovereignty of the archipelago, leaving 649 Argentine and 255 British soldiers dead. Britain later regained control of the islands.

Since Argentine President Cristina Fernandez took office in December, she has pledged repeatedly to recover the islands and demanded renegotiation with Britain on the disputed territory.