By Harriet Alexander 4:47PM GMT 28 Mar 2013
The president of Argentina has lashed out at Britain's sovereignty of the Falkland Islands in an extraordinary Twitter rant, claiming that "even three-year-old children" would dismiss the UK's position.
"The UN, the Decolonisation Committee … the world … are demanding dialogue, ALL TOGETHER," tweeted Cristina Kirchner Photo: AFP/GETTY
Cristina Kirchner, the firebrand ruler of Argentina, took to the social media site following a meeting of the UN special committee of decolonisation, firing off a stream of 27 tweets in under two hours.
"An English territory more than 12,000km away? The question is not even worthy of a kindergarten of three year olds," she wrote on Wednesday night.
On Tuesday Héctor Timerman, the foreign minister, had travelled to the meeting in New York to meet with Ban Ki-moon, the UN Secretary General. Mr Timerman demanded talks with Britain on the sovereignty of the islands, following a referendum in which the Falkland Islanders voted overwhelmingly to maintain their current status quo.
But Mrs Kirchner was relentless in her championing of the cause.
Twitter: Cristina Kirchner - Territorio inglés a más de 12 mil kms de distancia? La pregunta no aguanta ni jardín de infantes de 3 años.
"The UN, the Decolonisation Committee … the world … are demanding dialogue, ALL TOGETHER," she tweeted to her 1.8 million followers.
"The greater fatherland supports without reservation our claim, for historical, documental and geographical reasons and the most elementary of logic ..."
Moments later she added, full of sarcasm: "Complete multilateralism and anti-colonialism. 'Very good'. See how I love to speak English?"
Mark Lyall Grant, Britain's ambassador to the UN, said it was "untenable" for Argentina to reject the islanders 99.8% vote in favour of remaining under British rule.
Mike Summers, a member of the Falkland Islands Assembly, presented the results of the referendum to the UN in New York last week.
"The referendum result makes it clear that we have no desire to be governed by Argentina. Continued harassment of our economic development and intimidation of those who want to do business with us and invest in the Islands will not change this fact. The more Argentina presses our small community, the harder will be our resolve," Mr Summers said.
Following on from her comments on the Falklands, the 60-year-old president then embarked on a series of lengthy reminiscences about her mother, Ofelia, who wanted her to learn the language, and about her recollections of living under the military junta, which took control on March 24, 1976.
"March 24th, in the Plaza. Men in red uniform, describing themselves as being on the Left. Threatening, with clubs in their hands.
"Yes, I know, I'm old. But I remember these things as if I'd seen them only yesterday. This memory sometimes hurts me deep in my soul."
She then began an in-depth retelling of an encounter she had had with a young, taunted gay man named Pedro.
"Attacked, beaten, humiliated for being gay, by those who call themselves Catholics," she said.
"This is the Fatherland for all of us – a freedom which I did not have when I was Pedro's age – in which each one of us can say what they think and what they like."
Cristina Kirchner's extraordinary Twitter rant as she lashes out over Falklands - Telegraph
