Shipping spat over Falklands

BUENOS AIRES - Argentina's President issued a decree yesterday seeking to control all shipping to and from the Falkland Islands, escalating her fight with Britain over drilling for oil and gas in the South Atlantic.

Cristina Fernandez's order applies to any boat going to or from the islands.

Fernandez said that Britain occupies the archipelago illegitimately and that it has failed to comply with United Nations resolutions requiring negotiations on its future.

The decree says ships must get prior permission before entering Argentine seas.

Despite Britain's military victory in the conflict over the Falklands in 1982, Argentina officially considers the entire South Atlantic continental shelf to be its territory.

The decree doesn't say what action Argentina will take if ships don't comply.

The British Foreign Office said that the decree would not affect shipping through the area.

"This does not affect Falkland Islands territorial waters, which are controlled by the islands' authorities."

The archipelago was claimed by the Spanish crown and then the Argentine Government until 1833, when Britain occupied it.

Argentina's military government retook the islands in April 1982. Britain recovered them two months later.

Several British companies are poised to begin offshore exploration using a US$35 million ($49.6 million) rig. Desire Petroleum has licensed six areas, where it predicts 3.5 billion barrels of oil and 9 trillion cubic feet of natural gas can be recovered.

- AP