THE diplomatic stand-off ahead of the 30th anniversary of the Falklands War intensified yesterday when David Cameron accused Argentina of "colonialism" over the islands.
The Prime Minister made his comments to MPs just 24 hours after the first ever National Security Council (NSC) on the Falklands, held to review the UK Government's defence strategy.
A No 10 spokeswoman said the NSC, which is chaired by Mr Cameron and attended by military chiefs, agreed Britain had the "right strategy in place to respond quickly and flexibly to any developments during the year".
In December, the Mercosur group of countries, including Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil, announced it would ban ships sailing under the Falkland Islands flag from docking at their ports.
A few months earlier, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, the Argentinian president, called Britain "arrogant" for refusing to negotiate on the Falklands, which her country calls Las Malvinas and claims a right to. She branded Britain "a crude colonial power in decline" and accused it of taking Argentine resources from the islands and the waters around them.
More recently, there was controversy when it was announced Prince William, an RAF helicopter pilot, will be posted to the Falklands next month for six weeks.
Buenos Aires condemned it as a "provocative act".
During Prime Minister's Questions, the Falklands issue was raised by Tory backbencher Andrew Rosindell, who branded Argentina's recent actions "wholly deplorable" and urged Mr Cameron to "remind Argentina they lost the Falklands War and that it's up to the Falklanders to determine their own future".
The PM replied: "What the Argentinians have been saying recently is far more like colonialism because these people want to remain British and the Argentinians want them to do something else."
Mr Cameron stressed it was important to commemorate the Falklands War this year and remember those who served and those who died in the conflict.
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