Falkland Islands

Argentina re-elects president who wants Falkland Islands talks

24 October 2011 | Falkland Islands  By Charlotte Cross 
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Tensions between Britain and Argentina over the future of the Falkland Islands look set to continue as President Cristina Fernandez is re-elected for a second term of office.

She won a landslide victory by the widest margin in Argentina's history.

Although the sovereignty of the British-controlled Falkland Islands was not an election issue, it was only in June that she called the UK "arrogant" and “a crude colonial power in decline" after Prime Minister David Cameron said the issue of sovereignty was non-negotiable.

She is certain to continue to step up pressure on London to enter talks over the islands.

In 2009 Argentina handed documents to the UN formally laying claim to a vast expanse of the ocean, including Las Malvinas, as Argentines call the islands.

Tensions between the UK and Argentina increased at the beginning of last year, when Britain began looking for oil and gas in the waters around the islands.