MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Falklanders commemorate “Liberation Day”

Today, June 14 is Liberation Day, commemorating the deliverance by British Forces of the Falkland Islands from Argentine occupation in 1982.

A thanksgiving service will be held in Stanley Christ Church Cathedral beginning at 9.45am and at 11am a ceremony will be held at the Liberation Monument. A civic reception will be held in the FIDF Club from 11.30am to 12.30pm.

Two Royal Navy veterans of the Falklands War, Stephen Kay and John Callaghan will be present in the Islands for the commemorations.

BBC correspondent Mr Hanrahan - who was with the UK troops close to the frontline - said the Falklands felt strangely quiet after weeks listening to the noise of war. .

"The sound of the heavy guns, the bombs, the machine-gunning is gone. The island is still and once again Stanley is under British control," he said.

More than 900 people died in the war ? 655 Argentines, 255 British troops and three Falkland islanders.

The Falklands War is the result of years of disputed ownership of the Islands.

Argentina says it inherited the Islas Malvinas from the Spanish crown in the early 19th century. The country also bases its claim on the Islands' proximity to the South American mainland. .

The UK argues that most of the British-descended islanders want to remain British exercising their right to self determination. In spite of Argentina's insistance on sovereignty negotiations, the UK position is that:"we will not negotiate on the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands unless and until the Islanders wish us to do so". Futhermore the UK is only responsible for matters of defence and foreign policy. "All other decisions are taken and financed by the democratically elected Falkland Islands Government".

Equally important "the UK believes in the principle of self determination as set out in the Charter of the UN. To force this group of people to change their government against their will would be morally unacceptable", said the Foreign Office in a recent statement.

The Islands with a flourishing fishing and tourism industry have become, with the exception of defence, a self sufficient economy plus holding a £ 90.5 million Consolidated Fund, which equates to slightly more than the policy target of 2.5 years worth of the government's operating expenditure.