A sign at the Argentine-Brazilian border, translated into English, proclaims

"The Malvinas are Argentine".

There are several signs like this in the country

-------------------------------------------------

The Duke of Cambridge has taken to the air for the first time over the Falkland Islands as he began a controversial six-week tour of duty as a Search and Rescue helicopter pilot.

Flight Lieutenant Wales, as he is known within the RAF, embarked on his first shift as part of a four man crew that will conduct search and rescue missions around the Falklands.

His arrival on the Islands comes after a week of rising tensions between Britain and Argentina.

Following the deployment of HMS Dauntless, one of the Royal Navy’s most powerful warships, to the area last week, Argentina’s foreign ministry suggested that the Duke had arrived in the Falklands as “a conqueror”.

Argentina has also described his deployment, which comes ahead of the thirtieth anniversary of the Falklands conflict, as “a provocative act”

Navy sources have warned the Argentinian government that its entire air force would be wiped out if it tried to attack the Islands.

The Duke will spend six weeks providing search and rescue cover for both civilians and the military in the area.

During his first shift he was briefed on the "unique and challenging" environment of the Falkland Islands.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said the Duke underwent "familiarisation with the location and the job he is to perform".

He added: “Crews can be expected to complete a multitude of challenging tasks including rescuing fishermen from trawlers, taking seriously ill patients to hospital, putting out peat fires or dropping off vital supplies to the isolated areas of the islands.”

Squadron Leader Miles Bartlett, the Officer Commanding Search and Rescue, said: “A posting to the operations in the Falklands is a vital part of the career progression for a Search and Rescue pilot.

“The experience they get here is second to none. It is a challenging and varied job providing an essential capability to the Military and the Falkland Islands population.”

-----------------------------

duty entirely routine - Hague

The deployment of Prince William, and a warship, to the Falkland Islands is "entirely routine", UK Foreign Secretary William Hague has said.

The prince began as an RAF search and rescue pilot on Saturday, while HMS Dauntless will go in the coming months.

It comes amid tensions between the UK and Argentina, as the 30th anniversary of the Falklands conflict approaches.

There was nothing provocative about "routine military movements", Mr Hague told Sky News' Murnaghan programme.

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond had already denied the prince's deployment was provocation towards Argentina, and insisted it was "routine".

'Diplomatic temperature'

Mr Hague said commemorations to mark the conflict would go ahead but Britain supported the islanders' self-determination and would seek to prevent Argentina from "raising the diplomatic temperature" on the issue.

"(The events) are not so much celebrations as commemorations. I think Argentina will also be holding commemorations of those who died in the conflict," Mr Hague said.

"Since both countries will be doing that I don't think there is anything provocative about that. Nor is there anything provocative about entirely routine military movements.

"They are entirely routine - of course our ships regularly visit the South Atlantic. We don't normally make any comment on the deployment of our nuclear submarines. But our Naval vessels regularly visit the South Atlantic.

"Prince William is on a routine deployment that is part of his job.

"We will resist the diplomatic efforts of Argentina to raise the temperature on this and when I was in the Caribbean a couple of weeks ago, the Caribbean nations agreed to support a self-determination of the Falkland islanders which is what we believe in.

"We will put the case for that around the world, including for Latin American and Caribbean nations whenever we get the opportunity."

'Every eventuality'

Foreign Office Minister Jeremy Browne said that protecting the people of the Falklands was a priority.

"We are always prepared for every eventuality," he told BBC One's Sunday Politics.

"Argentina is a big powerful country - it's a member of the G20 most powerful countries in the world.

"It's got a population of 40 million people.

"The Falkland Islands have only got a population of 2,500 people but we are determined that they should be able to decide their own future.

"Their future shouldn't be decided for them by the Argentinians and we're determined to up the principle of self-determination."

Heightened tensions

The Duke of Cambridge is part of a four-man crew in the territory providing cover for both the civilian and military population.

The six-week deployment will see Flight Lieutenant Wales operate as a Sea King co-pilot, a post he has held at RAF Valley in Anglesey since qualifying.

Earlier this week the Royal Navy said it would send one of its latest warships, the Type 45 destroyer HMS Dauntless, to the region on her maiden voyage.

The Royal Navy has said the Portsmouth-based destroyer's deployment has been planned for a long time, and is not a reaction to heightened tensions over the Falklands.

The Ministry of Defence has not confirmed when the ship will set sail.

----------------------------------

Falkland tensions grow ahead of invasion anniversary

Tensions over the Falkland Islands have been increasing ahead of the 30th anniversary of Argentina's invasion in 1982.

The latest escalation was prompted by the decision of Mercosur, a South American trading bloc, to close its ports to ships flying the Falkland Islands flag in December.

When British Prime Minister David Cameron then accused Argentina of "colonialism", the Argentine Senate passed a motion condemning his comments.

There were also demonstrations - with the Union flag burning - outside the British embassy in Buenos Aires.

Then the Royal Navy announced that it was sending the destroyer HMS Dauntless to the South Atlantic, off the Falklands.

The British government said the move was routine, but it will do little to ease tensions in the region.

National consensus

HMS Dauntless is among the largest and most powerful air defence destroyers

The status of the islands, known as the Malvinas in Argentina, is still a very sensitive issue for Buenos Aires.

In the capital, it is common to see posters highlighting the country's claim to the islands. Many Argentine cities also have monuments to the war, in which more than 600 soldiers died.

It is not uncommon either to see youngsters with tattoos of a Falklands map in the colours of the Argentine flag.

At a political level, feelings are no less intense.

National politics may be extremely polarised, but there is consensus between the government and the opposition over the country's claim to the islands.

"It is the centrepiece of Argentina's foreign policy," says Jorge Battaglino, lecturer in international relations at Torcuato di Tella University in Buenos Aires.

Growing support

Analysts agree that commemorations of the war will be more prominent this year than ever before.

Some say this is because it is the 30th anniversary. But it also coincides with a change of tack by the government, which is pushing more forcefully for talks with the UK.

“Start Quote

The war only managed to delay the possible start of negotiations between Argentina and Britain”

Atilio BoronArgentine sociologist

Britain insists it will not open negotiation on the Falklands, as most islanders wish to retain British sovereignty.

Pollster Ibarometro says support among Argentines for the country's claim to the islands is traditionally at about 65-70%, but that Mr Cameron's comments boosted that to nearly 74%.

Ibarometro's director Pablo Lopez also says that there is growing support for the government's more aggressive approach.

"Since 2009, backing for the government's strategy has jumped from about 40% to 67%," he says.

A military government was in power in Argentina at the time of the 1982 invasion.

It was a time of social unrest, and the state was leading its so-called "dirty war" - a crackdown on left-wing activists which left an estimated of 30,000 people dead.

Yet support for the war was high.

For years, this has complicated the issue for Argentines, who have tried to disassociate support for the Falklands from support for the military dictatorship.

"People today have managed to separate both views," says sociologist Vicente Palermo.

"The Malvinas are seen as a national cause, regardless of whether there was a war over the islands sparked by an unpopular military government."

Cameron factor

Britain has held the islands since the 1830s, but Argentina insists it has a prior claim.

A woman in Buenos Aires finishes graffiti which reads: We will get Malvinas back with the strength of..."

The Falklands dispute is an old national cause in Argentina

"It is an old national cause, and the military took advantage of this popular feeling to try to maintain their grip on the country," says sociologist Atilio Boron.

"The war only managed to delay the possible start of negotiations between Argentina and Britain," he adds.

After the war, Argentina suffered decades of internal economic and political strife, but the relative calm of the past decade has allowed foreign policy to come to the fore.

The election of Nestor Kirchner as president in 2003 marked an increase in Argentina's efforts to claim the islands, and the government has since actively sought support from other nations in the region and the UN.

Mr Kirchner and his wife Cristina - the current president - grew up in the Argentine Patagonia, in the south of the country, where the issue runs high because of the relative proximity to the disputed territory.

There is some debate in Argentina as to whether this explains the government's interest in the issue.

Some, like Mr Palermo, say that the official position is just an accurate representation of public opinion.

He says President Fernandez may also be using the Falklands to deflect attention from domestic issues.

Not everyone agrees.

"Why would the president do that? She has just been re-elected with strong support, the economy is growing and her popularity is high," says Mr Battaglino.

"It is David Cameron who is trying to deflect attention from domestic issues," says Mr Boron.

"The UK's economy is no better than Argentina's. It was not Buenos Aires that had social unrest and riots last year, but London," he adds.

The Argentine government believes the recent support from other countries in the region to their claim to the islands may have improved the prospects of Britain agreeing to open negotiations on the issue.

But so far, from the Foreign Office in London, there has been no indication of any change in the British stance.

===================================

The Falkland Islands

/ˈfɔːklənd/ (Spanish: Islas Malvinas) are an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean, located about 250 nautical miles (290 mi; 460 km) from the coast of mainland South America. The archipelago consists of East Falkland, West Falkland and 776 lesser islands. The capital,Stanley, is on East Falkland. The islands are an internally self-governing British Overseas Territory, with the United Kingdom responsible for defence and foreign affairs.

Ever since the re-establishment of British rule in 1833, Argentina has claimed sovereignty. In pursuit of this claim, which is rejected by the islanders, Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands in 1982. This precipitated the two-month-long undeclared Falklands War between Argentina and the United Kingdomand resulted in the defeat and withdrawal of the Argentine forces. It is currently on the United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories. Since the war, there has been strong economic growth in both fisheries and tourism.

The Falkland Islands took their English name from "Falkland Sound", the channel between the two main islands, which was in turn named after Anthony Cary, 5th Viscount Falkland, by Captain John Strong, who landed on the islands in 1690. The Spanish name, Islas Malvinas, is derived from the French name, Îles Malouines, named by Louis Antoine de Bougainville in 1764 after the first known settlers, mariners and fishermen from the Breton port of Saint-Malo in France. The ISO designation is Falkland Islands (Malvinas) and its ISO country code is FK.

As a result of the continuing sovereignty dispute, the use of many Spanish names is considered offensive in the Falkland Islands, particularly those associated with the 1982 invasion of the Falkland Islands. General Sir Jeremy Moore would not allow the use of Islas Malvinas in the surrender document, dismissing it as a propaganda term.

Falkland Islands