Imperialist UK threatens Argentina with military war over disputed Malvinas Islands

British Prime Minister David Cameron has warned that he is ready to fight another war with Argentina, in the face of what he claimed to be renewed Argentinean rhetoric over the Malvinas Islands (Falklands).

Speaking on the state-run BBC’s Andrew Marr Show on Sunday, Cameron said Britain has “strong defences” in place on the disputed islands, with “fast jets” and “troops” being stationed there, reaffirming the continuation of the UK’s occupation of the territory.

He also maintained that the country’s forces are strong enough, claiming that the UK’s defence budget is the fifth highest in the world.

This comes as on January 3, Argentina’s President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner published an open letter to the UK Prime Minister in several British newspapers, calling on London to hand over the Malvinas Islands.

The president further urged Cameron to obey the 1965 United Nations resolution and “negotiate a solution” over the islands, which are located about 300 miles off Argentina’s coast.

Argentina has repeatedly called on the British government to sit down at the negotiating table to settle the sovereignty dispute, but London has refused to discuss the issue with the South American country’s government.

Britain has occupied the Malvinas Islands since 1833. The United Nations (UN) Special Committee on Decolonization considers the islands as a colony which is waiting to be decolonized.

Tensions escalated between London and Buenos Aires in 2012 as both countries marked the 30th anniversary of the end of the UK and Argentina war over the islands.

The two countries fought a 74-day-long war in 1982 over the islands, which ended with the British side claiming victory over the Argentineans.