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  • Argentina seeks nuclear apology

    Argentina seeks nuclear apology

    HMS Invincible was among UK ships sent to the Falklands
    Argentina's president has demanded that Britain apologise for sending warships to the 1982 Falklands war with nuclear weapons on board.
    "The UK must ask our forgiveness," President Nestor Kirchner said.

    Britain admitted on Friday that some of the ships it sent to the Falkland Islands carried nuclear weapons.

    But the UK Ministry of Defence said the arms were transferred to other vessels before entering regional territorial waters and none was intended for use.


    Nuclear worries

    Mr Kirchner said relations with Britain had not been damaged, but Argentina would stand firm in its demand "for precise and complete information".

    "We need those who are part of the government of the other country to have the character to ask the forgiveness that is due," Mr Kirchner said.

    Argentine officials said they wanted to know if there was any nuclear material on the sea bed in the South Atlantic - a reference to HMS Sheffield and several other British ships which were sunk by Argentina's forces during the conflict.

    CONFLICT TIMELINE
    2 April: Argentina invades
    5 April: Task force leaves UK
    19 April: US diplomatic efforts fail
    22 April: Royal Navy ships arrive in waters off Falklands
    25 April: UK forces re-take island of South Georgia
    3 May: Argentine cruiser General Belgrano sunk
    4 May: HMS Sheffield sunk
    21 May: British forces land on Falklands
    28 May: Battle of Goose Green
    13 June: British forces take Mount Tumbledown outside the capital, Stanley
    14 June: Argentine garrison surrenders
    In its statement on Friday, the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) said a decision not to use the weapons was made before the ships left port.

    But they were kept on board because to remove them would take 36 hours, delaying the Royal Navy deployment to the south Atlantic.

    In fact, the weapons did not reach the combat zone as they were removed on the journey and transferred to ships returning to the UK, a MoD spokesman said.

    The weapons never entered the territorial waters of the Falklands Islands or any South American country, Reuters news agency quoted a MoD spokesman as saying.

    Rumours about the weapons first surfaced after the war ended, but until now they have never been verified.

    Argentina invaded the British territory of the Falkland Islands in the south Atlantic on 2 April 1982.

    In response, Britain sent a number of warships, many of which routinely carried nuclear weapons at the time.

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/3297805.stm

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    I am surprised the MOD removed them at all, but i suppose given HMS Sheffield it looks wise now. However all in all i think that the MOD was playing with too much of a "straight bat".
    at

  • #2
    Re: Argentina seeks nuclear apology

    Originally posted by Trooth
    I am surprised the MOD removed them at all, but i suppose given HMS Sheffield it looks wise now. However all in all i think that the MOD was playing with too much of a "straight bat".
    Explaination is alot simpler. The RN wants to make room for weapons that they were going to use instead of taking up valuable space by weapons that they were not going to use.

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    • #3
      tough for the argies

      Argentina invades the falklands so there for they were the agressors, they deserve no appoligies for the mere possesion of nukes in their area of the world...they didn't give the Brits much notice of the Invasion now did they so what do they expect?
      Facts to a liberal is like Kryptonite to Superman.

      -- Larry Elder

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