Military chiefs are dusting off their plans for the defence of the Falklands after South American countries banned ships from the islands docking in their ports. Sources fear Prince William's six-month deployment to the South Atlantic as an air-sea rescue pilot next year could provoke more sabre-rattling. Yesterday Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner claimed Britain was ready to use its military to steal natural resources 'anywhere, anyhow'.
She said: 'They're currently taking our oil reserves and fish stocks from the Falklands but when they need more natural resources they will come and use force to steal them wherever and however they can.'Mercosur, the South American trading block which also includes Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay have agreed to ban boats sailing under the Falklands flag from docking at their ports – even though Paraguay does not even have a coastline.The ban affects around 25 ships – some of which are fishing vessels working for a Spanish company.
Argentina still claims the islands – held by Britain since the 1830s – are theirs, despite their crushing defeat in the 1982 Falklands War.Former Defence Secretary Liam Fox asked to see the war plans for the defence of the Falklands in 2010 and examined the plans twice as they were adapted. New Defence Secretary Philip Hammond, who took over in October, has also been briefed.