The lion roars but does not inspire fear', Argentina tells Britain
Argentine foreign minister mocks British 'aggression' over Falkland Islands, claiming it has the world on its side in bid to claim territory
Argentina has ridiculed Britain as an impotent colonial aggressor on the wrong side of history in the Falklands dispute, insisting it will not be cowed by "verbal and military threats" as "the lion roars but does not inspire fear".
In a lengthy denunciation of British policy published in Argentine daily Pagina 12 (Page 12), Héctor Timerman, the country's foreign minister, painted Argentina as a valiant underdog cheered on by the world in its David and Goliath-esque battle with an arrogant but ailing colonial power.
He accused Britain of "inappropriate" aggression in its attempt to maintain sovereignty over the Falklands, attributing such behaviour to its "failed attempt to confuse the world" - a reference in part to the islands' 2013 referendum - over what he characterised as the "colonial and military occupation of Argentine territory".
Argentina, meanwhile, had through its "peaceful struggle" garnered "renewed and vigorous support the world over, including in Britain" for its claim, the minister said.
Mr Timerman has as foreign minister spearheaded the country's renewed campaign to claim the territory, Britain's sovereignty over which has long rankled in the Argentine historical consciousness. The issue was largely dropped from the public agenda following Britain's victory in the 1982 Falklands War but it remained an open sore and has been seized upon as a nationalist rallying cry by Cristina Kirchner, Argentina's embattled leftist president.
The transatlantic standoff deepened after Britain in 2010 began hydrocarbon exploration in the oil and gas-rich waters of the archipelago, further incensing the cash-strapped country some 300 miles away.
The minister claimed that Britain's "plunder" of natural resources and increased military presence in the South Atlantic had drawn condemnation from every country in the region.
He also accused Britain of setting a negative example for countries in conflict by ignoring United Nations resolutions requiring London and Buenos Aires to sit down at the negotiating table. The Falklands referendum - "a misnomer", he said - was a violation of such UN resolutions which did not afford the islanders the right to self-determination.
The UN has since 1965 issued repeated resolutions calling for the negotiation of a peaceful solution to the dispute but these have proved ineffective without the approval of the Security Council, where Britain, as a permanent member, holds veto powers.
"The lack of arguments and the wide support for Argentina's right to territorial integrity prompt the United Kingdom to act and express itself in an aggressive fashion that is inappropriate for a nuclear power that is also a permanent member of the Security Council," Mr Timerman wrote.
"Such behaviour undermines the international community's attempts for all countries to accept UN decisions in order to achieve peaceful resolution of conflicts."
Britain had "no moral authority" when it came to ending colonialism, Mr Timerman said, claiming it was the country that had most often ignored UN rulings.
He accused Britain of "an escalation of verbal attacks" on Argentina during a year in which it also "issued threats to several independent countries" - notably Syria.
But Argentina would not be intimidated, he insisted.
"The verbal and military threats of the colonial power will continue to be met with Argentina's demand for respect for international law and for UN resolutions," Mr Timerman concluded. "In other words, the United Kingdom's refusal to sit down at the negotiating table is compelling evidence that, in the question of the Malvinas (Falkland) Islands, the lion roars but does not inspire fear."
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