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Argentina congress has rejected UK Malvinas referendum

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Argentinean lawmakers have approved a rejection statement condemning the UK referendum on the sovereignty of the Malvinas Islands, Press TV reports.

“All political blocs agree – there are no differences about this issue,” said Claudio Lozano, a lawmaker with the Progressive Front, regarding the National Congress of Argentina’s condemnation statement issued on Wednesday.

All political parties in the Lower House and the Senate have sustained the move.

Lozano went on to criticize the coalition government of British Prime Minister David Cameron for failing to engage in an open discussion over the dispute, adding that “We can’t have dialogue with the UK only through statements that, of course, show UK’s isolation in all international forums and organizations.”

Argentinean President Cristina Fernandez called the UK-led referendum a “parody”, fashioned in an advertising maneuver to distort the nature of the bilateral dispute.

“It is fraud. Exporting a population, installing it in a territory, asking it to decide on their future and then saying that it’s the people’s right to self-determination is truly an absurdity and it violates significant issues such as the principle of self-determination,” said Lozano.

In polls conducted on March 10 – 11, the island inhabitants voted 99.8 percent in favor of remaining an overseas territory of the UK.

Cameron had earlier said that London would always be ready to defend its settlers in the Malvinas, which are called the Falklands by Britain.

Argentina and Britain fought a 74-day-long war in 1982 over the islands, which ended with the British side claiming victory over the Argentineans.

Located about 300 miles off Argentina’s coast and home to about 3,000 inhabitants, the islands have been declared part of the British Overseas Territories since Britain established its colonial rule on the territories in 1833.

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