LONDON, Oct 21 (Bernama-PA Media/dpa) -- Argentina’s dispute with the UK over oil exploration near the Falkland Islands is headed for a tribunal hearing, with dates set for the two-day proceedings, reported PA Media/dpa.
The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) confirmed it would hold a public hearing on November 10 and 11 to assess Argentina’s complaint about the Sea Lion development, north of the islands.
Argentinian President Javier Milei followed through on his September promise to file a complaint with the maritime tribunal.
Established under a UN convention, the Hamburg-based tribunal can issue legally binding rulings on maritime disputes.
The Sea Lion development is a joint venture in the South Atlantic Ocean between British and Israeli companies and contains an estimated 1.7 billion barrels of oil.
Milei previously described the companies’ activities as unlawful and launched economic sanctions on people and firms involved in oil exploration around the islands.
But UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham said last month that the UK “will stand firm in the face of any threats” to the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands.
He told the UN: “I didn’t react immediately when the Argentinian president made his recent comments, but in this forum, I think it’s right for me to set out the position clearly, and the clear position is: we will stand firm in the face of any threats.
“We will defend the right of the Falkland Islanders to self-determination and to remain British.”
The Falkland Islands have long been a source of diplomatic tension between the two countries, which fought a war for sovereignty in 1982 after Argentina invaded the British territory.
Falkland Islanders previously voted overwhelmingly to remain a British Overseas Territory, but Milei dismissed their wishes in his speech to the UN.
He argued that the principle of self-determination did not apply “since the population was implanted by the occupying power on a territory whose sovereignty is in dispute”.
--BERNAMA-PA MEDIA/dpa