Falklands veteran Simon Weston has responded to the new Argentinian President’s vow to take back the Falkland Islands from British sovereignty, saying: “They don’t have a military to provide any action.”
Speaking to GB News, Mr Weston, who suffered severe burns during the 1981 conflict, said: “The Falklands is an independent territory that chooses whose sovereignty they live under and they choose our laws, they choose our flag, they choose our Parliament.
“Sometimes I wonder whether that’s right but they choose our Parliament.
“The right to self-determination, freedom and democracy is non-negotiable.
Falklands veteran Simon Weston and Javier Milei
GB News/Reuters
“We do not throw that away for them. The Islanders choose to be British and that’s what they should have.
“It’s not down to some guy who consults his psychic to find out how his dog is thinking about his decision-making on what to do next and that is what this guy does.
“He is deluded.
“We see far too many power politics. We’ve only got to look at Mr Putin and what he’s done and this guy is doing the same thing.
The new President of Argentina has vowed to take the Falklands Islands back, sparking pushback from UK officials.Getty/PA“They have robbed their military from any funding, they’ve not got a military now so he can’t threaten, or offer that he’s not going to threaten military action: they’ve not got a military to provide any action.
“I think that's nonsense.
“This guy needs to check his reality: deal with the corruption in his own country first and then start talking to people about how they can trade with and how they can work with people.”
The comments come after the country’s new president Javier Milei claimed that Britain returning the Falkland Islands to Argentina was "non-negotiable" during his presidential campaign and added that the territory is Argentine.
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Falklands veteran Simon Weston speaks to Michelle Dewberry
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He called for an agreement similar to the one the UK had with China in Hong Kong, which saw the territory handed over to Chinese control after 1997.
Milei, who was elected on Sunday, said: “What do I propose?
“Argentina's sovereignty over the Malvinas Islands is non-negotiable.
“The Malvinas are Argentine. Now we have to see how we are going to get them back.
“It is clear that the war option is not a solution.
“What we are proposing is to move towards a solution like the one England had with China over the Hong Kong issue and that in this context the position of the people who live on the islands cannot be ignored.
“You cannot deny that those people are there. You cannot disregard those human beings.
“You have to negotiate with Britain and consider the views of the people who live on the islands.
“We are looking for a solution for the Malvinas Islands to return to Argentina through diplomacy, a solution that is viable, that is achievable.”