Britain and Argentina remembered the 25th anniversary of the end of the Falkland Islands conflict on Thursday, with British leaders attending a memorial service and Argentina's president calling Britain's triumph an unacceptable "colonial victory."
Queen Elizabeth II and former prime minister Margaret Thatcher joined old warriors and widows of the fallen at the memorial chapel at Pangbourne College west of London to mark the date when British forces accepted the surrender of the Argentine army, ending a 74-day occupation. British Prime Minister Tony Blair also attended.
The conflict, which followed Argentina's seizure of the islands on April 2, 1982, cost the lives of 255 British servicemen, many of them lost at sea, and more than 600 Argentines.
"I'm filled with sadness for the boys who never came home," said Steve Kettless, 50, who was in the Parachute Regiment in the battle for Goose Green. "That's the main emotion in remembering what happened 25 years ago for me -- 25 years have gone so quickly."
Argentine President Nestor Kirchner blasted the British victory and lashed out at Thatcher for praising her former fighters. Thatcher, who dispatched a naval task force to the South Atlantic to retake the archipelago, had used a radio speech to praise her military for its conduct.
"The whole nation rejoiced at the success; and we should still rejoice," Thatcher said on the British Forces Broadcasting Service.
"Aggression was defeated and reversed. The wishes of local people were upheld as paramount. Britain's honor and interests prevailed," she said.
Kirchner, in statements carried by local news agency Diarios y Noticias, said, "The islands are Argentine" and the British victory "was a colonial victory, really unacceptable in the eyes of the world."
"I would like to say to Senora Thatcher that she may have won the battle because she belongs to a world power, but she never defeated us through the force of reason or justice," Kirchner said on the sidelines of a public event opening a suburban Buenos Aires sports complex.
Many Argentines see their country's invasion of the islands as a mistake by the nation's now-discredited former military dictators. But Argentines universally call the islands their own, insisting the British seized them by force in 1833, and Kirchner reinvoked that sovereignty claim on Thursday while insisting that the archipelago would one day be returned peacefully.
He said Las Malvinas -- as the Argentinians call the islands -- "are Argentine and by way of peace will again be Argentina's."
Unlike in Britain, no large-scale ceremonies were held in Argentina recalling the date.
The two countries renewed diplomatic ties in 1990 and agree to not to discuss the outstanding Argentine claims of sovereignty to the islands populated by English-speaking people largely of British heritage.
In a message to the 3,100 residents of the islands, the queen said the British forces had "made a stand for democracy and freedom."
"Since then, you have shown that their sacrifice was not in vain by your continued loyalty and determination to safeguard and develop your way of life in these islands," the royal message said. "This week offers you an opportunity to look back with pride on your achievements and to look forward to a prosperous future, living in freedom and governed by those whom you have chosen."
The message underlined London's position that any change in the government of the British islands must win the support of the islanders.
Argentina continues to deny the local inhabitants claims to "self-determination," but has stepped up calls in international forums to regain the islands peacefully.
Archeologists in Peru on Thursday said they found the 5,000-year-old remains of a noblewoman at the sacred city of Caral, revealing the important role played by women in the oldest center of civilization in the Americas. “What has been discovered corresponds to a woman who apparently had elevated status, an elite woman,” archeologist David Palomino said. The mummy was found in Aspero, a sacred site within the city of Caral that was a garbage dump for more than 30 years until becoming an archeological site in the 1990s. Palomino said the carefully preserved remains, dating to 3,000BC, contained skin, part of the
‘WATER WARFARE’: A Pakistani official called India’s suspension of a 65-year-old treaty on the sharing of waters from the Indus River ‘a cowardly, illegal move’ Pakistan yesterday canceled visas for Indian nationals, closed its airspace for all Indian-owned or operated airlines, and suspended all trade with India, including to and from any third country. The retaliatory measures follow India’s decision to suspend visas for Pakistani nationals in the aftermath of a deadly attack by shooters in Kashmir that killed 26 people, mostly tourists. The rare attack on civilians shocked and outraged India and prompted calls for action against their country’s archenemy, Pakistan. New Delhi did not publicly produce evidence connecting the attack to its neighbor, but said it had “cross-border” links to Pakistan. Pakistan denied any connection to
TRUMP EFFECT: The win capped one of the most dramatic turnarounds in Canadian political history after the Conservatives had led the Liberals by more than 20 points Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney yesterday pledged to win US President Donald Trump’s trade war after winning Canada’s election and leading his Liberal Party to another term in power. Following a campaign dominated by Trump’s tariffs and annexation threats, Carney promised to chart “a new path forward” in a world “fundamentally changed” by a US that is newly hostile to free trade. “We are over the shock of the American betrayal, but we should never forget the lessons,” said Carney, who led the central banks of Canada and the UK before entering politics earlier this year. “We will win this trade war and
Armed with 4,000 eggs and a truckload of sugar and cream, French pastry chefs on Wednesday completed a 121.8m-long strawberry cake that they have claimed is the world’s longest ever made. Youssef El Gatou brought together 20 chefs to make the 1.2 tonne masterpiece that took a week to complete and was set out on tables in an ice rink in the Paris suburb town of Argenteuil for residents to inspect. The effort overtook a 100.48m-long strawberry cake made in the Italian town of San Mauro Torinese in 2019. El Gatou’s cake also used 350kg of strawberries, 150kg of sugar and 415kg of
RSS