Argentina takes Britain to International Court, demands halt to Falklands oil project
Key Takeaways
- Buenos Aires has taken the dispute over the Sea Lion offshore oil project to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea.
- Argentina argues that drilling could cause irreversible harm to its claimed continental shelf rights and the marine environment.
- London maintains that Falkland Islanders have the right to develop their natural resources, while judges consider emergency restrictions.
Buenos Aires accuses London of violating its sovereign rights as both countries clash over offshore oil drilling near the disputed Falkland Islands.
Argentina has asked an international court to halt a major offshore oil project near the disputed Falkland Islands, accusing Britain of violating its sovereign rights and threatening the marine environment.
The two countries appeared before the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) in Hamburg on Tuesday over the Sea Lion oil project, developed by Navitas Petroleum and Rockhopper Exploration north of the islands.
Argentina argues that allowing drilling to proceed could cause irreversible damage to its claimed rights over the continental shelf and the surrounding marine environment.
Argentina's legal representatives arrived at the tribunal carrying boxes of documents before joining delegates and officials inside the courtroom.
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Addressing the tribunal, Argentine Ambassador Mario Oyarzabal said Buenos Aires had attempted to resolve the disagreement through peaceful negotiations before seeking legal intervention.
"We come to Hamburg with that same confidence to do what international law expects from a responsible state: to settle disputes by peaceful means before an impartial tribunal," he said.
Oyarzabal also criticised Britain's handling of the dispute, accusing London of refusing to cooperate with Argentina.
"Argentina did not abandon cooperation, but as Argentines know well, it takes two to tango. Unfortunately, the United Kingdom prefers to dance alone," he added.
International law professor Marcelo Kohen warned that the planned oil extraction could permanently affect Argentina's claimed rights to resources beneath the seabed.
"If we have had to come before you, it is because, due to the so-called Sea Lion project, there is an imminent risk of irreparable harm arising from activities aimed at exploiting the non-renewable resources of the continental shelf," he said.
Britain rejected Argentina's arguments, maintaining that Falkland Islanders have the right to develop their natural resources under regulations established by the islands' government.
London also accused Argentina of using the legal proceedings to advance its longstanding sovereignty claim over the territory.
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The tribunal is considering whether emergency restrictions should be imposed on the Sea Lion project while the wider dispute proceeds to arbitration.
The two-day hearing is scheduled to conclude on Wednesday.
Britain has controlled the Falkland Islands, known in Argentina as the Malvinas, since 1833.
Argentina continues to claim sovereignty over the islands, which were at the centre of a 10-week war between the two countries in 1982. The conflict ended in a British victory.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
