Argentina has accused the UK of sending nuclear-armed submarines to the South Atlantic, after making an official complaint to the UN over the Falklands dispute.

The country’s representative at the UN conference on disarmament, Eduardo Zuain, said that by beefing up its naval presence around the disputed islands London was violating the provisions of a 1967 accord, banning nukes in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The conflict around the archipelago in the South Atlantic has been simmering since Britain regained control over the islands in a brief war with Argentina in 1982.

New outbreak of Falkland Islands (Malvinas) war

Sergey Duz

In early January of this year Argentinian President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, actually, made a demand to British Prime Minister David Cameron to return the Falkland Islands to Argentina, motivating her demand by the resolution of the UN General Assembly adopted 50 years that urged for putting an end to colonialism in all its forms and manifestations.

Demonstrating its self-sufficiency, official Buenos Aires said in 20 years the Falklands would return under its jurisdiction. London responded in the same spirit, saying that they would either remain under Britain’s jurisdiction or would gain independence: everything depends on the islanders’ wish, not on the Argentineans. Many experts believe that what matters here is an instinct of political self-preservation, not high ideological considerations. Editor-in-Chief of the magazine “Russia in Global Affairs” Fyodor Lukyanov says:

“Argentina is a country of disappointment. In the 30s of the past century it outstripped the majority of European countries in economic development. However, after it took passion for charismatic leaders – such as General Peron – it gradually turned from a regional leader into a state with hurt consciousness.”

The Argentinian opposition believes that the domestic policy of Cristina de Kirchner is leading the country to the world isolation. Once a prosperous country, Argentina has turned away from the USA and the European Union, choosing Venezuela and Iran as its leaders. An expert with the Institute for Latin American Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences Pyotr Yakovlev says:

“This process is linked to the changes which the Argentinean economy and domestic policy has undergone as well as to the evolution of its national development model. An emphasis is made there on the greater role of the government in the national economy and public life, on the mass-scale material support of the poorest sections of Argentina’s population, and on a sharp hike in wages – in the first place, to the needy. That is why the government needs solid finances for these purposes, which the present-day Argentinian economy is unable to ensure. The government has to search for additional sources of financing. ”

Thus, experts say that Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, remaining committed to her political course, reactivated the territorial dispute. A similar situation emerged in Argentina 30 years ago, when another semi-military regime with nationalist slogans and promises, including the return of the Falkland Islands (Las Malvinas), came to power in the country. On the other hand. Argentina’s current behavior can be explained by its disappointment in the West as such. Professor Martynov from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations says:

“Argentina has remained an iconic example of the neo-liberal way of development in the past decade. Then in 2001 it experienced a serious crisis. The West did not stir a finger to help it. The economic model that did not prove good should not be used. Presently the Latin American countries are testing their own development models. Some of them have achieved tangible results – such as Brazil, Colombia and Peru. Others are not as successful as those that were mentioned earlier. Under Cristina de Kirchner Argentina is closer to the radical wing. To a certain extent, her policy can be called populist. In any case, Argentina is deeply rooted in the Latin American economic and political structures, and in case of need its neighbours, not the Western countries, will render a helping hand to it.”

However, Argentina’s neighbours have preferred to watch for the time being. Buenos Aires does not have sufficient resources. Meaning the shelf that is rich in hydrocarbons. British oil workers who are working there now will start pumping oil in approximately 5 years. Official Buenos Aires demands that they should appear before court. However, the oil workers have trust in the British arms. The future will show whether Argentina will be able to rein in its ambitions concerning the lost Falkland Islands. Otherwise, an armed conflict may break out again.

Voice of Russia, RIA

http://english.ruvr.ru/2013_02_25/Britain-sent-to-the-Falklands-nuclear-submarines-Argentina/