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| Falkland islanders go to the polls in sovereignty referendum | Falkland islanders go to the polls in sovereignty referendum |
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| Residents of the Falkland Islands have started voting in a sovereignty referendum that seeks to counter Argentina's increasingly assertive claim over the British territory. | Residents of the Falkland Islands have started voting in a sovereignty referendum that seeks to counter Argentina's increasingly assertive claim over the British territory. |
| Diplomatic tension between London and Buenos Aires has flared up more than three decades since the Falklands war. | Diplomatic tension between London and Buenos Aires has flared up more than three decades since the Falklands war. |
| Falklands-born and long-term residents will cast their vote in the two-day ballot in which they are asked whether they want to stay a British overseas territory. Officials are expected to announce the result at about 8pm local time on Monday after polls close. A high turnout also is expected and an overwhelming "yes" vote is likely, prompting Argentina to dismiss the referendum as a meaningless publicity stunt. . | Falklands-born and long-term residents will cast their vote in the two-day ballot in which they are asked whether they want to stay a British overseas territory. Officials are expected to announce the result at about 8pm local time on Monday after polls close. A high turnout also is expected and an overwhelming "yes" vote is likely, prompting Argentina to dismiss the referendum as a meaningless publicity stunt. . |
| "We hope the undecideds, or the uninformeds, or those countries that might otherwise be prepared to give the nod to Argentina's sovereignty claim might have pause for thought after the referendum," said John Fowler, deputy editor of the islands' weekly newspaper, the Penguin News. | "We hope the undecideds, or the uninformeds, or those countries that might otherwise be prepared to give the nod to Argentina's sovereignty claim might have pause for thought after the referendum," said John Fowler, deputy editor of the islands' weekly newspaper, the Penguin News. |
| "This is an attempt to say, 'Hang on a minute, there's another side to the story.'" | "This is an attempt to say, 'Hang on a minute, there's another side to the story.'" |
| People queued to vote at the town hall in the capital Stanley, where referendum posters bearing the slogan "Our Islands, Our Choice" adorned front windows. The post office produced a line of official stamps to mark the occasion. | People queued to vote at the town hall in the capital Stanley, where referendum posters bearing the slogan "Our Islands, Our Choice" adorned front windows. The post office produced a line of official stamps to mark the occasion. |
| In distant islands and far-flung sheep farms, ballot papers were being flown in or and driven in by mobile polling stations. | In distant islands and far-flung sheep farms, ballot papers were being flown in or and driven in by mobile polling stations. |
| "For me, this referendum is extremely important because I have no wish to be part of Argentina," said Rob McGill, 67, who runs a guesthouse in isolated Carcass Island and voted by post. "I consider myself a Falkland Islander, but my ancestors came from Britain." | "For me, this referendum is extremely important because I have no wish to be part of Argentina," said Rob McGill, 67, who runs a guesthouse in isolated Carcass Island and voted by post. "I consider myself a Falkland Islander, but my ancestors came from Britain." |
| Some islanders are the descendants of British settlers who arrived eight or nine generations ago and the Falklands, which has an estimated totsl population of 2,840, retain an unmistakably British character despite a sizeable community of immigrants from Chile and Saint Helena. | Some islanders are the descendants of British settlers who arrived eight or nine generations ago and the Falklands, which has an estimated totsl population of 2,840, retain an unmistakably British character despite a sizeable community of immigrants from Chile and Saint Helena. |
| Residents say recent remarks by the Argentinian president, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, and the foreign minister, Héctor Timerman, have galvanized patriotic sentiment on the islands, which lie about 310 miles (500km) off the coast of Argentina. | Residents say recent remarks by the Argentinian president, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, and the foreign minister, Héctor Timerman, have galvanized patriotic sentiment on the islands, which lie about 310 miles (500km) off the coast of Argentina. |
| Tensions have risen with the discovery of oil deposits in the Falklands basin and by Fernández's persistent demands for Britain to hold sovereignty talks over the islands, which are known as Malvinas in Spanish. London says it will only agree to negotiations if the islanders want them. | Tensions have risen with the discovery of oil deposits in the Falklands basin and by Fernández's persistent demands for Britain to hold sovereignty talks over the islands, which are known as Malvinas in Spanish. London says it will only agree to negotiations if the islanders want them. |
| Timerman said last month the referendum had the "spirit of a public-relations campaign" and the Argentinian foreign ministry accused Britain of pursuing "irresponsible initiatives in bad faith". | Timerman said last month the referendum had the "spirit of a public-relations campaign" and the Argentinian foreign ministry accused Britain of pursuing "irresponsible initiatives in bad faith". |
| "This new British attempt to manipulate the Malvinas issue through a vote by the population that it implanted is forcefully rejected by Argentina," a statement said, citing broad Latin American support for the Argentinan position. | "This new British attempt to manipulate the Malvinas issue through a vote by the population that it implanted is forcefully rejected by Argentina," a statement said, citing broad Latin American support for the Argentinan position. |
| Argentina says the sovereignty dispute can only be decided between London and Buenos Aires. | Argentina says the sovereignty dispute can only be decided between London and Buenos Aires. |
| Argentina has claimed the islands since 1833, saying it inherited them from the Spanish on independence and that Britain expelled an Argentine population. | Argentina has claimed the islands since 1833, saying it inherited them from the Spanish on independence and that Britain expelled an Argentine population. |
| The sovereignty claim is a constant in Argentine foreign policy, but there have been moments of detente since Leopoldo Galtieri sent troops to the Falklands in April 1982, drawing a swift response from Margaret Thatcher. | The sovereignty claim is a constant in Argentine foreign policy, but there have been moments of detente since Leopoldo Galtieri sent troops to the Falklands in April 1982, drawing a swift response from Margaret Thatcher. |
| No one in Argentina advocates another attempt to take the islands by force, but some analysts say the current tough strategy may prove counterproductive by antagonising islanders. | No one in Argentina advocates another attempt to take the islands by force, but some analysts say the current tough strategy may prove counterproductive by antagonising islanders. |
| In the islands, where plans for oil production to start in 2017 could further boost the flourishing local economy, most residents are determined to maintain the status quo. | In the islands, where plans for oil production to start in 2017 could further boost the flourishing local economy, most residents are determined to maintain the status quo. |
| "Our best-case scenario is for them to drop their claim and realise that we are a people, we are a country and we do exist," said Gavin Short, one of the Falklands assembly's eight elected members.Asked if he thought that might happen, he said: "Not in my lifetime." | "Our best-case scenario is for them to drop their claim and realise that we are a people, we are a country and we do exist," said Gavin Short, one of the Falklands assembly's eight elected members.Asked if he thought that might happen, he said: "Not in my lifetime." |
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