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Summary Pressure has been building between Britain and Argentina over the Falklands.
Argentinas Industry Minister Debora Giorgi on Tuesday called on firms importing British products to buy substitute goods elsewhere, a ministry source said, amid rising tension over the disputed Falkland islands.Pressure has been building between Britain and Argentina over the Falklands, which London controls but Buenos Aires claims, ahead of the 30th anniversary in April of the start of the war between the two nations over the South Atlantic islands.Argentina has also reacted angrily to the deployment of Britains Prince William to the Falklands as part of his job as a Royal Air Force search and rescue pilot, and to a planned fact-finding trip by British lawmakers next month.Giorgi herself worked the phone and called senior officials of Argentine and multinational importing companies, the told government agency Telam.It is fundamental for Argentina to decide who its strategic commercial partners are, and in that regard, the government will also send a message to those who still use colonialism to get hold of other peoples natural resources, the official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Telam.In 2011, Argentina exported goods worth $779 million to Britain and imported goods worth $664 million, official datashow. Argentina exported mainly soybeans, soy oil, corn, chemicals and peanuts, while its imports from Britain were largely chemicals, pharmaceuticals and cars.The Falklands, located off the southern coast of Argentina, have been under British control since 1833.A 74-day war in 1982 cost the lives of 649 Argentine troops, 255 British troops and three Falkland Islanders, with Britain retaining control.The United Nations has called on Britain to start talk on decolonization, but London has refused to do so.
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