Milei sets two-week deadline for UK over Falklands oil project

Argentina’s president, Javier Milei, has given the United Kingdom a two-week deadline to halt the Sea Lion oilfield project off the Falkland Islands, saying he instructed the foreign ministry and legal teams to begin international arbitration against the UK if the work is not scrapped.

What did Javier Milei threaten?

In a social media post, Milei said that if the two-week deadline was not met, he had “instructed the Foreign Ministry and legal teams to initiate international arbitration” against the UK over what he called “the illegal plundering of our resources through the Sea Lion Project”. He warned that Argentina would take the matter to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea if the “illegitimate exploitation” of the region did not end within two weeks.

The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea is an independent judicial body based in Hamburg that applies the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

What is the Sea Lion oilfield and who is developing it?

Sea Lion lies about 130 miles (209 km) from the Falkland Islands and contains an estimated 1.7 billion barrels of oil. Britain’s Rockhopper Exploration and Israel’s Navitas Petroleum are due to begin extracting within two years, and both companies have said they hold valid licences issued by the Falkland Islands. The dispute has already produced moves by Argentina to file criminal charges over Falklands oil drilling.

Why does Argentina claim the Falkland Islands?

Argentine forces landed on the islands to stake a territorial claim in 1982, triggering a 74-day war in which a British military task force ejected them. The conflict killed 255 British military personnel, three islanders and 649 Argentine military personnel. In a 2013 referendum, residents voted overwhelmingly to remain a British overseas territory, with 99.8% in favour and three votes against. Argentina calls the archipelago Las Malvinas.

How has the UK responded?

UK Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said Argentina “lacks the ability” to seize the Falklands by force. The deadline follows Milei’s criticism of the United Nations over the Falklands at the General Assembly, where he called the body “a useless organisation” that only serves “arrogant parasites dressed up as well-intentioned bureaucrats”.

The two-week deadline is the latest in a series of Argentine measures over the archipelago, including sanctions proceedings opened by Milei’s government against 45 people.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Sea Lion oilfield?

Sea Lion is an oilfield about 130 miles (209 km) from the Falkland Islands with an estimated 1.7 billion barrels of oil, being developed by Britain’s Rockhopper Exploration and Israel’s Navitas Petroleum.

What deadline did Javier Milei give the UK?

Argentina’s president gave the UK two weeks to scrap the Sea Lion project, saying he had instructed the foreign ministry and legal teams to initiate international arbitration if it was not halted.

Which tribunal would Argentina take the case to?

Milei said Argentina would take the matter to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, an independent body based in Hamburg, if the exploitation did not end within two weeks.

How did the Falkland Islands vote on sovereignty?

In a 2013 referendum, 99.8% of residents voted to remain a British overseas territory, with three votes against.

With reporting from BBC News.

Stock image, not from the events described. City Skyline — Joe deSousa / Wikimedia Commons (CC0 1.0)