The advertisement came in the form of an open letter addressed to “Mr Prime Minister David Cameron” (ccing in Ban Ki Moon) and referred to Britain as a “colonial power” which “has refused to return the territories to the Argentine Republic, thus preventing it from restoring its territorial integrity”.
The Argentinean leader said that refusing to hand the land, known by Argentineans as the Malvinas Islands, back to Argentina was a breach of resolutions of the United Nations.
“In the name of the Argentine people, I reiterate our invitation for us to abide by the resolutions of the United Nations,” de Kirchner concluded in the statement.
Last year marked the 30th anniversary of the 1982 Falklands war between Britain and Argentina, in which 649 Argentinean and 258 British soldiers were killed. Argentine forces occupied the island for 74 days.
A spokesperson for the British Foreign Office said that the Falkland Island residents “are British and have chosen to be so”.
“There are three parties to this debate, not just two as Argentina likes to pretend. The islanders can’t just be written out of history.”
“As such, there can be no negotiations on the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands unless and until such time as the islanders so wish.”
The population of the Falklands is estimated to be just 2,841, according to figures from 2008.
Main image: Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner speaks at a rally in December 2012 on the eve of Argentina’s Day of Democracy and Human Rights (Getty images)
In the video below from 2012, de Kirchner refers to Britain as “a crass colonial power in decline” (via YouTube/The Daily Telegraph)