Argentina raps British PM over Malvinas

Argentina's President Cristina Kirchner

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/223113.html

Argentina's President Cristina Kirchner has criticized British Prime Minister David Cameron for what she called Britain's efforts to portray her country as "violent" over the occupied Falkland Islands.

"They are trying to paint us as bad guys, or violent guys and really, that is not who we are," Kirchner said in a speech on Wednesday after about three weeks of medical leave for thyroid surgery.

The criticism came after the British premier described the South American nation's desire to reclaim the islands (known as Las Malvinas in Argentina) as “colonialism.”

“The United Nations Committee on Decolonization has 16 cases open on places that remain colonies, of which 10 are British colonies, and one of the best known is our beloved Malvinas islands," Kirchner stressed.

She said her country would keep using diplomacy to reclaim control over the islands.

“Our armed forces only take part in peacekeeping missions. And that is a political decision of democratic governments since 1983," said the Argentine president.

Tensions between the two counties have escalated since 2010 when London authorized oil prospecting around the islands.

Meanwhile, Argentine protesters marched on the British embassy in Buenos Aires on Friday as the 30th anniversary of the 74-day Argentina-Britain war over Malvinas nears.

Malvinas, located about 250 nautical miles from Argentina, has been occupied by the British for over 180 years. However, Argentina claims sovereignty over the territory as it controlled the islands prior to its colonization by the British.