Veteran: Lt General Sir Hew Pike, who led 3 Para in the 1982 conflict, is 'saddened' that the pontiff believes the Falklands belong to Argentina Falklands veterans told of their dismay last night after the Argentine president hinted she hoped the new Pope – her countryman – would mediate in the dispute surrounding the territory. Pope Francis believes the South Atlantic islands are ‘Argentine soil’. In 2010 the then Buenos Aires Cardinal declared: ‘The Malvinas are ours’, and last year he accused Britain of ‘usurping’ the islands. Firebrand Argentine president Cristina Kirchner, who has for months been seeking easy home popularity by calling for Britain to enter talks on withdrawing from the Falklands, has leapt on the promotion of her fellow Argentine to the papacy to boost her case.
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Pope Francis calls Falkland Islands 'Argentine soil'
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General Sir Hew Pike said new pontiff does not observe islander's rights
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Argentina's president Kirchner hopes Francis will help her claim to islands
Sir Hew said: ‘It saddens me that a man of the @placeholder’s stature does not seem to respect the rights of a group of people to self-determination.