LONDON, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Oil drilling off Falkland (Malvinas) Islands by British oil companies will likely harm relations between Britain and Latin American countries, an expert has said.
The Falklands, controlled by Britain, is claimed by Argentina, which calls them the Malvinas Islands.
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People hold up slogans during a rally protesting Britain's oil drilling plan in the disputed oil-rich Malvinas (Falkland) Islands, in Buenos Aires, Feb. 23, 2010. Tensions between Argentina and Britain have been escalating over Britain's oil drilling plan in the disputed oil-rich Malvinas (Falkland) Islands. The two countries were locked in a new round of verbal skirmishes 28 years after their bitter war over the ownership of the archipelago. (Xinhua/Martin Zabala)
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"There are huge political and diplomatic issues, with great tensions with Argentina and other Latin American countries. If commercially significant amounts of oil are discovered that is really going to ratchet up tensions, and there could be big issues around who gets the tax," Daniel Litvin told Xinhua on Tuesday.
"Will there be an attempt by Britain to compromise and share a bit with Argentina? These are big questions which will be pushed by Argentina and some of the other Latin American countries," said Litvin, an expert in the geopolitics of energy and energy security at the London-based think thank Chatham House.
Lord Montgomery, a British lawmaker who has long-standing and extensive links with Latin American countries, told Xinhua on Tuesday that he expected that the Rio Group summit currently meeting in Mexico would condemn the oil drilling, and that it was likely to be raised at the United Nations.
"We have to try to build bridges, we have a very long-standing tradition of friendship with Argentina and a tremendously close relationship with other Latin American countries," he said.
However, he also said he believed British sovereignty over Falklands was indisputable and that the islanders wanted it that way.
"The Argentine claim has no foundation in law, the wishes of the islanders is respected by the British government on the basis of self-determination," said Lord Montgomery.
An opinion poll for the mass circulation British tabloid paper The Sun showed that 58 percent of Britons support the government in sending the Royal Navy to patrol the seas off the Falklands in the wake of the diplomatic spat.
However, the poll, carried out by YouGov, also revealed that only 45 percent of Britons supported using force if necessary to underline Britain's claim to the disputed sovereignty of the islands in the South Atlantic.
Argentina and Britain have been at odds over the sovereignty of the islands for decades, and their dispute led to a 74-day war in 1982, which ended in the defeat of Argentina.
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UK begins drilling off Malvinas
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Desire Petroleum PLC made the announcement on Monday. And Diamond Offshore Drilling released a still picture of the oil rig being used in the current project. The picture was reportedly taken while the rig was under tow in British coastal waters. The move is sure to infuriate Argentina, which claims the archipelago in the south Atlantic as its own. Full story
Argentine president disputes Malvinas sovereignty
PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico, Feb. 22 (Xinhua) -- Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner on Monday reiterated her country's determination to dispute the sovereignty of the Malvinas (Falkland) Islands.
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BUENOS AIRES, Feb. 21 (Xinhua) -- Argentine Foreign Minister Jorge Taiana said Sunday that his country has won regional support in a dispute with Britain over the Malvinas Islands.
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British foreign secretary defends hydrocarbons exploration around Falkland (Malvinas) Islands
LONDON, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- The imminent arrival of British hydrocarbons exploration rig in the South Atlantic waters around the disputed Falkland (Malvinas) Islands has sparked a diplomatic row between Britain and Argentina.
British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said on Thursday that the hydrocarbons exploration was "nothing out of the ordinary." Full story
Argentina protests British plan for oil drilling in Malvinas Islands
BUENOS AIRES, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- The Argentine Foreign Ministry lodged a protest with Britain on Tuesday over the European country's drilling plan in the north of the disputed Malvinas (Falkland) Islands.
Argentina "strongly rejects the UK's attempts to authorize exploration and exploitation operations of hydrocarbons in the Argentine continental platform area," said the protest issued by the Foreign Ministry. Full story
