Argentina marks 40th anniversary of Falklands War
President of Argentina Alberto Fernandez awarded veterans and relatives of fallen soldiers from the Falklands War on the 40th anniversary of the beginning of the conflict on Saturday (April 2).
Fernandez requested the United Kingdom to comply with resolution 2065 of the United Nations General Assembly of 1965.
Argentina and Britain have long disputed the sovereignty of the British-run group of islands in the South Atlantic that Argentina knows as the Malvinas. In 1982, that erupted into a short war that claimed the lives of 650 Argentine soldiers and 255 British troops.
The two countries now have cordial relations, although the islands remain a constant source of tension. For the veterans, that is expressed in who is allowed to grieve and how.
The conflict began on April 2, 1982, when Argentine troops landed on the islands, located some 400 miles (644 km) from the Argentine coast. Britain, then led by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, sent a naval task force to retake them. The poorly equipped and trained Argentine troops stood little chance and Argentina surrendered by June.
The war is widely seen as a mistake by a discredited military dictatorship ruling Argentina at the time, but the islands remain a potent national symbol and most Argentines support the South American country's claims over them.
