In their latest spat over the disputed Falkland Islands, the British government summoned Argentina's top diplomat to the Foreign Office on Wednesday to explain his country's decision to ask 20 leading companies to stop importing British products and supplies, according to AP. Argentina's Industry Minister Debora Giorgi told the companies on Tuesday they should replace British imports with products from other nations, in Argentina's latest attempt to pressure London to negotiate about the sovereignty of the islands. Tensions are rising ahead of the anniversary of the brief war between Argentina and Britain over the Falklands, which began on April 2, 1982, and saw more than 900 people die. Britain's Foreign Office said raised its concerns about the imports to Argentine charge d'affaires Osvaldo Marsico, who is expected to "report back to Buenos Aires for urgent clarification." Marsico is Argentina's chief diplomat in Britain, as the country has not had a full ambassador since 2008. "We made clear that such actions against legitimate commercial activity were a matter of concern not just for the UK, but for the EU as a whole, and that we expect the EU to lodge similar concerns with Argentine authorities," Britain's Foreign Office said in a statement Wednesday. A Foreign Office spokesman, speaking on customary condition of anonymity in line with policy, said that Argentina would not benefit from the move. "The U.K. is the sixth largest investor in Argentina, and we import from Argentina significantly more than we export to them," the spokesman said. "So it is firmly not in Argentina's economic interest to put up these barriers to trade." Officials also planned to discuss Argentina's decision on Monday to turn away two Carnival Corp. cruise ships from its southernmost city of Ushuaia, invoking a new law that bars vessels linked to Britain. Prime Minister David Cameron's spokesman Steve Field said it was "very sad that Argentina continues with their approach of confrontation, not cooperation." Argentina has become increasingly assertive over its claims to the islands that it calls the Malvinas, as well as the British-held South Georgia and South Sandwich islands. At stake are not only the islands, but also rich fishing grounds and potential undersea gas and oil reserves in the surrounding seas. Cameron insists London will not enter negotiations on the sovereignty of the islands. He has said the people of the Falklands must decide their own future and claims Argentina has taken a colonialist approach to the islands' residents.
