Argentina reasserting claim to Falklands

Buenos Aires: As they organise separate 25th anniversary ceremonies to remember their war over the Falkland Islands, Argentine and British officials have found that remembering is the easy part.

Resolving, however, is a much trickier proposition.

The windblown archipelago is once again claiming headlines here, climbing back near the top of Argentina's international agenda a quarter-century after its military surrendered the territory to Britain.

Last week Argentina aimed yet another rhetorical dart at Britain, publicly reasserting its claim to islands it says were stolen by the English in 1833. The British should be getting the message by now: President Nestor Kirchner's government in the past year has issued official complaints concerning rights to the islands at a rate of more than one per month.

Meanwhile, Argentina's legislature has convened a committee dedicated to bolstering its claim over the islands.

The Argentine government has pushed for, and has received, attention from the United Nations, which drafted a committee resolution last year recommending negotiations.

British officials say they won't hold negotiations until the residents of the island ask for them. Prime Minister Tony Blair two weeks ago assured islanders that Britain would continue to defend their right to decide the island's future.