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\n Argentina players hold up a banner with the words ‘Las Malvinas son Argentinas’ during the World Cup Alamy Stock Photo<\/p>\n
ARGENTINIAN LEADER JAVIER Milei has said that \u201cwinds of change\u201d favour his country\u2019s claim to the Falkland Islands, pointing to Washington\u2019s readiness to review its neutrality on his country\u2019s dispute with Britain as a possible game-changer.<\/p>\n
Britain and Argentina fought a 10-week war over the South Atlantic archipelago, which Argentines refer to as Las Malvinas, in 1982.<\/p>\n
The fate of the islands hit headlines again in recent days, with US President Donald Trump threatening to wade into the dispute and a British-Israeli oil project near the islands causing anger in Argentina.<\/p>\n
In an address on national TV, Milei assured Argentina would not \u201cstand idly by\u201d in the face of the project and announced sanctions on firms linked to oil extraction \u201cin Argentine territory under British occupation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are winds of change in the world that are favourable to our claim,\u201d he said, alluding to Trump\u2019s threat to withdraw support for Britain\u2019s sovereignty.<\/p>\n
Milei said: \u201cI want to be quite clear with everybody. The Falklands are Argentinean. Historically and legally.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere can be no argument. They are part of the Argentine territory.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe islanders on their usurped territory do not have a legitimate right to self-determination and any argument on any such self-determination is invalid.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n Argentina players hold up a banner with the words ‘Las Malvinas son Argentinas’ during the World Cup Alamy Stock Photo<\/p>\n
Alamy Stock Photo\n<\/p>\n
British Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said this morning that the Falkland Islands \u201care British\u201d and that the UK\u2019s commitment to them was \u201cabsolute and unshakeable\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Falklands are British because Falkland Islanders choose to be British,\u201d Streeting said on social media<\/p>\n
Control of the Falklands is a highly emotive issue in Argentina, even though the islanders themselves voted overwhelmingly in 2013 to remain British. In that referendum,\u00a099.8% of roughly 1,500 voters voted in favour of British rule while just three people opposed it.\u00a0<\/p>\n