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USHUAIA, Argentina - Argentina will fight on to win sovereignty over the British-controlled Falkland Islands, the government said today, 25 years after a disastrous war for control of the islands.
Argentina's ill-fated Falklands campaign is widely seen as a mistake by the discredited military dictatorship ruling at the time.
But the centre-left government of President Nestor Kirchner has stepped up Argentina's sovereignty claims over the islands, known as Las Malvinas in Spanish, despite Britain's stance that it will only enter talks if the 2,900 islanders want it to.
"The Malvinas are Argentine, they always were, they always will be," Argentine Vice President Daniel Scioli said at an event marking the start of the war, drawing applause from the crowd of several thousand people.
"Once again, we urge the United Kingdom to heed international calls and resume negotiations in the appropriate manner, through the United Nations," Scioli said in Ushuaia, the world's southernmost city, lying more than 3,000 km south of Buenos Aires.
Last week, the Argentine government announced the end of an agreement with London to explore for oil near the Falklands, citing "unilateral" British efforts to drill. Britain called that a "backward step."
Diplomatic scuffles have also arisen in recent years over the issue of fishing licenses in the waters around the South Atlantic archipelago and flights to mainland South America.
In Venezuela today, the British and German embassies were evacuated from the building that housed them after a hoax bomb threat was made to the British mission, authorities said. A building security official said the telephone threat was made by a man speaking with an Argentine accent.
During the ceremony in Ushuaia to honour Argentine soldiers, organisers released bundles of blue and white balloons into the air along with grey doves. War veterans handed out roses for people to toss into the bay to honour Argentina's fallen soldiers.
The 10-week conflict killed about 650 Argentine and 255 British troops in 1982.
One Ushuaia resident climbed atop a mound of dirt and planted his own giant Argentine flag, with the black outlines of the islands superimposed and the slogan "We will return."
"The objective of recovering our islands can't be renounced," said the head of the armed forces, Jorge Chevalier. "Today the methodology is clear: the diplomatic path, through peace. Too much blood was spilt and that should never be repeated."
War veteran Jose Ricci endured a three-day bus ride to reach Ushuaia to join the official commemorative act. Ricci was 20 when Argentine forces landed on the Falkland Islands to wrest them from British control exercised since 1833.
"It was very important for me to travel the 3,500 kilometres by bus to pay homage. I've got friends whose remains are in the Malvinas and I'm closer to them here," Ricci said as flags snapped in the chilly Patagonian wind.
- REUTERS
