A court in Argentina's southernmost province of Tierra del Fuego has issued an interim ruling to suspend a British-Israeli oil project near the Falkland Islands, escalating Buenos Aires' claim over the British-administered territory. The ruling, issued on Wednesday, follows a lawsuit filed earlier this month by veterans of the 1982 war and environmental lawyers.
The plaintiffs sought to block Britain's Rockhopper Exploration and Israel's Navitas Petroleum from the Sea Lion oilfield, located about 220km from the islands. The judge ordered the companies to "refrain from initiating, pursuing, carrying out or having carried out any material actions" involving drilling, installing infrastructure or extracting hydrocarbons. The suspension applies until an environmental impact assessment is conducted by the competent national authority. The parties were given 10 days to provide information about the project's status, contractors and financiers.
President Javier Milei's administration has also taken legal action against the project, arguing it violates a UN resolution calling for both sides to desist from unilateral actions until their dispute is resolved. The court order came just a day after Argentina announced it would file further legal complaints against companies exploring for oil near the islands, intensifying its campaign against businesses operating in the British overseas territory.
Britain and Argentina fought a brief but bitter 10-week war in 1982 over the South Atlantic islands, known to Argentines as the Malvinas. The conflict ended with an Argentinian surrender after 74 days, killing 649 Argentines, 255 British troops and three Falkland Islanders. Buenos Aires has doubled down on its claim after US President Donald Trump said Washington was open to reviewing its historically neutral stance on the territory.
London maintains the islands are British and rejects the jurisdiction of Argentinian courts. The islanders voted overwhelmingly in 2013 to remain British, but Argentina rejects that outcome, arguing that the principle of self-determination does not apply to a population it considers implanted by Britain after 1833.
Source: www.aljazeera.com