Argentina and UK Clash Over Oil Drilling Near the Falkland Islands

Argentina and the United Kingdom are engaged in a legal battle over an oil project off the coast of the Falkland Islands, a territory in the South Atlantic that both countries have long contested. At the centre of the dispute is drilling planned in the area by a joint British-Israeli venture.

The Argentinian government wants the drilling stopped. It argues that no such work should take place until the question of sovereignty has been resolved. The British government rejects this reasoning and stresses that it holds full sovereignty over the area.

The present case is the latest chapter in a long-running disagreement between the two countries. In the early 1980s, Argentina and the UK went to war after Argentina invaded the Falklands.

What the experts discussed

Al Jazeera's programme Inside Story examined the implications of the case with three guests: Diego Guelar, a former Argentinian ambassador to the United States; Javier Farje, a Latin American affairs specialist and historian; and Tobias Ellwood, a former British MP who served as a minister at the Ministry of Defence and the UK Foreign Office. The programme was presented by Folly Bah Thibault.

The source does not detail the guests' individual views or the specific legal procedures involved in the case.