The Falkland Islands

[Boy-Blue]

Isn't it time that the British government did the honorable thing and handed
back the Falklands to Argentina, the rightful owners?

[sandyRoe]

Don't you mean Las Malvinas?

[Baldric]

Honourable, explain?

[rockyracoon]

I think the people who live there should decide.

[factor-fiction]

It's difficult. The people who live there seem to want to be British. And how do we define 'rightful owner'? It's an island, not part of the mainland. Can't it be a country in its own right?

[albaqwerty]

Thinking along those lines then the US should hand back the land to the native American.

[sandyRoe]

What the inhabitants of distant islands want isn't always the first consideration on UK governments. The natives of Diego Garcia island in the Indian Ocean were transported in order that the Americans could build a air base on their island.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depopulation_of_Diego_Garcia

[sunny-dave]

Good grief - you'll be suggesting we give the Isle of Wight to the Cheese Eating Surrender Monkeys next ...

[mushroom25]

//I think the people who live there should decide//

self-determination is said to be inadmissible in this case. the population are not aboriginal, their ancestors didn't arrive until the incumbent argentinians had been moved on.

[bookbinder]

No, in a word. Never, in two words.

[sandyRoe]

If we could give Hong Kong back to the Chinese why not Gibraltar back to the Spanish?

[sunny-dave]

There were no 'incumbent/indigenous Argentinians' - the islands were uninhabited/uninhabitable until the various French/Spanish/English explorers all claimed sovereignty around 500 years ago.

[Baldric]

I left a few Friends there in '82 so I'm gonna take a lot of convincing!

[sunny-dave]

Quite so Balders ... any 'rights' the Argentines might have had (and possibly exercised via diplomacy) they surrendered unconditionally when they invaded ...

... those that seek to live by the sword must sod off and be quiet when they lose ...

[owdhamer]

What makes you pose this question Boy.

[askyourgran]

The last I heard was that the Falklanders prefer to remain British. Who says Argentina are the rightful owners? Except the Argentinians.

[albaqwerty]

agree Dave.

She (argentine president) is trying to keep her popularity up in her own country.
Last time she tried this, (I don't have a link) but the country was in meltdown and she needed to divert their attention from that.

[mushroom25]

//There were no 'incumbent/indigenous Argentinians' //

in january 1833 captain onslow arrived in the islands and issued written requests that the argentinian flag be lowered in favour of the british flag. the argentine representative, captain jose-maria pinedo, outnumbered and out-gunned, had little option but to comply.

argentina repeatedly protested at this british occupation until about 1849, thereafter not raising the issue again until 1941.

[emmie]

they are not the rightful owners, and it should be down to the Falkland Islanders themselves to decide. Suppose someone came along and said give Britain to the French/Germans because we were joined to the rest of Europe long ago, surely a matter for us to decide.

[Nibble]

According to....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_history_of_the_Falkland_Islands

1816: The United Provinces of the Río de la Plata, later called Argentina, claimed independence from Spain.

1825: The United Kingdom recognised Argentina's independence from Spain.

1850: Britain and Argentina sign the “Convention between Great Britain and the Argentine Confederation, for the Settlement of existing Differences and the re-establishment of Friendship”. Several historians (Argentine, British and Latin American) consider this has a negative impact upon Argentina's modern sovereignty claim.

1884: Argentina request that the sovereignty dispute is submitted to independent arbitration, Britain refuses. The first mention of the Falkland Islands by Argentina for 34 years.

1888: Argentina lodges a diplomatic protest with the UK, the matter is not raised again with the UK until 1941.

1941: The issue of the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands is raised by Argentina in a Message to Congress. This is the first time since the signing of the Convention of Settlement in 1850.

1945: Formation of the United Nations, Argentina states its claim to the islands in its opening address.

1946: Britain includes the Falkland Islands among the non-autonomous territories subject to its administration, under Chapter XI of the UN charter.
1947: Britain first offers to take the sovereignty dispute over the Dependencies to the ICJ. Argentina does not accept.

1948: Britain again offers to take the sovereignty dispute over the Dependencies to the ICJ. Argentina declines.

1955: Britain unilaterally refers the sovereignty dispute over the Dependencies to the ICJ. Argentina indicates that it will not accept any judgement.


Hence, any Argentine representation to the UN has to be taken into account of these historical facts, as Argentina has for almost 150 years refused any arbitration as to the actual ownership of the disputed landmass, (see 1950).


So, as to attribute ownership to Argentina as the OP states, then this is vvvvvv doubtful, IMO, but is due to the stated requests in 1950 (by Argentina), the basis of Argentina's claim is neutered by the position that "Argentina indicates that it will not accept any judgement." of ICJ

[Nibble]

Lived in container on Mount Fox, and Seven Sisters in 1983, IMO, no chance for Argentina to fulfill their claim, as they refuse to accept the judgement of the community & ICJ.