Clinton Seeks to Defuse Falklands Spat

Secretary of state offers to facilitate, but not mediate, UK-Argentina talks
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 2, 2010 4:30 AM CST
Clinton Seeks to Defuse Falklands Spat
Falklands war veterans, one holding up a sign that reads in Spanish "The islands are Argentine," demonstrate in front of the National Congress in Buenos Aires.   (AP Photo/ Natacha Pisarenko)

Argentina and Britain need to do something to resolve rising tensions over the Falkland Islands but they shouldn't expect the US to mediate, Hillary Clinton said yesterday. "What we want to do is to facilitate them talking to each other,” she said at press conference in Uruguay. “We’re not interested and have no real role in determining what they decide between the two of them. But we want them talking."

Argentina, infuriated by British plans to drill for oil and gas around the disputed islands, has been seeking to rally support for its claim to sovereignty, the New York Times notes. Clinton reiterated America's position of neutrality after Argentine President Cristina Fernandez—a vocal critic of the Obama administration—appealed for her help in resolving the dispute. Clinton will visit Chile and Brazil today as part of her 5-day tour of Latin America.
(More Latin America stories.)

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