Britain
refuses to rise to Venezuela's Falklands jibes
AFP
LONDON
Petroleumworld.com 02 13 06
Britain on Friday refused to be drawn into a war of words with
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who called for its South Atlantic
Ocean territory the Falkland Islands to be given back to Argentina.
"I don't think it is to anybody's benefit to get into a war
of words on this. The position of the Falkland Islands has been
stated many times. That remains the position," said Prime
Minister Tony Blair's official spokesman.
"I am not sure comments like this are helpful and I think
it is better to draw a veil and move on," he added.
Chavez's remarks follow Blair's comments in the British Parliament
Wednesday where he said that Venezuela could gain the respect
of the international community only if it abided by its rules.
The president also accused Britain of "imperialism"
for the bloody three-month war it fought to regain the Falkland
Islands archipelago following an Argentinian invasion in 1982.
The Falkland Islands, known in Argentina as the Malvinas, are
claimed by Buenos Aires, which maintains they were illegally occupied
by Britain in the early 19th century.
Chavez earlier this week called Blair a "shameless lackey"
of Washington for his statements critical of Venezuela.
AFP
02/10/06
Copyright
© 2006 AFP. All rights reserved
Send
this story to a friend
Your
feedback is important to us!
We invite all our readers to share with us
their views and comments about this article.
Write
to editor@petroleumworld.com
Any
question or suggestions, please write to:
editor@petroleumworld.com
Best
Viewed with IE
5.01+
Windows
NT 4.0, '95, '98 and ME +/ 800x600 pixels
| 
