Britain on Wednesday denied Argentina's claims that it was "militarizing the South Atlantic" by dispatching a Royal Navy destroyer to the disputed Falkland Islands, and insisted that the deployment of the naval vessel to the region was "entirely routine."
"We are not militarizing the South Atlantic. Our defensive posture in the South Atlantic remains the same," a spokeswoman for British Prime Minister David Cameron said Wednesday.
"There is no suggestion that we need to increase our military presence, nor to increase our military assets in the Falkland Islands. We have already got quite a range of assets in the Falkland Islands," she said.
Insisting that the deployment of HMS Dauntless to the Falklands was "entirely routine," she acknowledged that Britain did have contingency plans in place in "case of aggressive actions towards the self-governing British overseas territory."
Pointing out that the UN charter backed Britain's case for control of the islands, She added: "The people of the Falklands choose to be British. Their right to self-determination is a principle that is enshrined in the UN charter."
The British response came a day after Argentine President Cristina Fernandez accused Britain of "militarizing the South Atlantic"and stated that her country would raise the issue at the UN Security Council.
'I have instructed our foreign minister to make a formal complaint to the United Nations Security Council and Assembly about this militarization of the South Atlantic,' she said late Tuesday, noting that British "militarization poses a grave danger to international security".
Regarding the arrival of Britain's Prince William in the Falklands on Saturday as part of his training as an Air Force search-and-rescue helicopter pilot, the Argentine President said: "We would have liked to see him dressed as a civilian, not with a military uniform."
Argentina has been consistently asking Britain to engage in negotiations on the sovereignty of the long-disputed Falkland Islands. The British government, however, rejected such demands, insisting that it is up to the islanders to decide on the sovereignty issue.
The UK government also points out that European Union's Lisbon Treaty has recognized the Falkland Islands as an Overseas Territory of Britain. Despite these claims, the UN has passed several resolutions calling on Argentina and Britain to discuss the issue.
The Falkland Islands have been under British rule since 1833. Although Argentina attempted to take the Falklands in 1982, it lost the ensuing war with Britain. The war left more than 600 Argentinian and 255 British military personnel dead.
The latest developments come amidst diplomatic tensions between Argentina and Britain over oil drilling off the Falkland Islands by British companies. Argentina still claims sovereignty over the islands, which are located some 280 miles off the country's coast.
Soon after drilling began, President Kirchner signed a decree making government permit a must for all ships sailing from the South American country to the Falkland islands. Further, the Mercosur grouping that comprises of Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil and Paraguay announced in December that they will not allow ships sailing under the Falkland Islands flag to dock at their ports.
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