MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Falklands “harassment” by Argentina on Tories agenda

Labour ministers this week will come under pressure to explain how they intend to protect Falkland Island vessels from being “harassed” by Argentina, as an escalating conflict over fishing rights threatens to sour relations between the South Atlantic neighbours still further, reports The Scotsman in its Sunday edition.

"Tories will demand reassurance that the government will re-assert Britain's sovereignty over the waters around the Islands after Argentina's coastguard impounded a Falklands-flagged fishing vessel it claimed was operating in the country's EEZ".

Renewed concerns over the state of relations in the South Atlantic came after Falkland Islanders warned that Argentina was attempting to subject them to an "economic blockade", writes Brian Brady, Westminster correspondent.

The attention has now switched to the ongoing economic row between the Falklands and Argentina, centred on the 200-mile exclusion zones each has imposed around their coastlines. Earlier this month, the Falklands flagged vessel John Cheek and its 31-strong crew were taken to the port of Comodoro Rivadavia, to be confronted by the prospect of heavy fines and having their catches seized.

Scotland on Sunday revealed last month that British defence chiefs and Whitehall officials had become concerned over the strength of Argentine military forces, and the increasingly aggressive posture taken over the disputed islands by one of the country's key allies.

Even Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez caused a minor diplomatic crisis when he called for the UK to hand over the Falklands.

The Tories responded to the "increasingly bellicose noises" coming out of Buenos Aires by warning that the government must not allow Britain's military commitments elsewhere to affect the security of the Falklands. Shadow defence secretary Liam Fox said: "We must make it clear to Argentina that we would do absolutely anything to defend the Falklands and any action from them would be extremely foolish."

Fox has asked Defence Secretary John Reid "when his Department last assessed the military state of readiness of UK forces on the Falkland Islands" while Lord Tebbit, who was employment secretary at the time of the Falklands conflict, will browbeat ministers over fishing rights.

"I will ask the government whether they propose any action to prevent harassment of Falkland Islands fishing vessels by Argentinian naval ships", he said.

A spokesman at Argentina's embassy in London said assertions relating to the Argentine air force and navy were completely "false", insisting that "Argentina's sovereignty rights claim over the Malvinas, Georgias and Sandwich archipelagos are long standing, well established and strongly backed up by the United Nations. Our government is committed... to pursue all diplomatic and political - and hence pacific - efforts to obtain satisfaction. The use of force is excluded and is not an option", concludes The Scotsmanarticle.