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Falklands War 30th Anniversary: 5 British and Argentine papers react

April 2, 2012 marks the 30th anniversary of the Falklands War between Argentina and Britain. The war lasted less than three months, but it led to more than 900 causalities by the time Argentine forces surrendered.The islands, known as the “Malvinas” in Argentina, are still bitterly disputed, and tensions spiked recently, with the deployment of Prince William to the islands and the discovery of oil in surrounding waters.  Here are five reactions from Argentine and British newspapers on the anniversary of the Falkland Islands War:

It doesn’t matter who rules the Falklands

Enrique Marcarian/Reuters
Visitors read the names of the fallen Argentine soldiers during Falkland Islands War on a Malvinas Cenotaph in Ushuaia April 1, 2012. April 2 marks the 30th anniversary of the war over the island chain, known commonly in Argentina as 'Las Malvinas.'

  • By Whitney Eulich Staff writer

The Independent, UK 
Thirty years on, the British still can't admit the truth about the Falklands
Felipe Fernandez-Armesto

“Britain had virtually nothing of any material value at stake in the islands at the time of the invasion on 2 April 1982. But to allow the Junta to invade the Falklands with impunity was almost as unthinkable as allowing Hitler to seize Poland.... The war exacerbated feelings and made a negotiated outcome hard to imagine. Both sides worked themselves up into silly self-righteousness and unreasonable mutual condemnation.
...
Today the islands are grossly under-defended and, if Argentina were to invade, there would probably be little international support for Britain this time round. Big oil would shift allegiance to the victors. It won't happen – but only because Argentina is now indelibly democratic and her citizens will no more vote for war than hens will for Easter.
…
When the next opportunity for a settlement comes – probably sometime in the next 20 years, with renegotiation of international agreements on Antarctic exploitation – it may be possible to transfer sovereignty quietly, while divvying up amicably such resources as then remain. Maybe then we shall be able to admit the truth: it doesn't matter who rules the Falklands – or whether we call them the Malvinas."

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Mark Sappenfield
Editor

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