Falkland Islands Dispute 2013: Argentine President Christina Kirchner Demands Britain Return Falkland Islands In Letter to PM David Cameron

Argentine President Christina Fernández de Kirchner has stirred up relations with Great Britain in a letter to Prime Minister David Cameron demanding the return of the Falkland Islands (known in Latin America as las Islas Malvinas) to Argentina. The letter, which was published in various British newspapers, is the latest attempt by Argentina to regain control over the islands after the Falkland War 30 years ago.

Kirchner's letter urged Cameron to address a 1965 UN resolution to "negotiate a solution" to their longstanding issue. "The Question of the Malvinas Islands is also a cause embraced by Latin America and by a vast majority of peoples and governments around the world that reject colonialism," the president wrote.

She added, "In the name of the Argentine people, I reiterate our invitation for us to abide by the resolutions of the United Nations."

According to the BBC, Prime Minister David Cameron responded to Kirchner's letter by saying that the future of the islands resides in the hands of the inhabitants. "The future of the Falkland Islands should be determined by the Falkland Islanders themselves-the people who live there," Cameron said.

"Whenever they have been asked their opinion, they say the want to maintain their current status with the United Kingdom," he continued. "They're holding a referendum this year and I hope the president of Argentina will listen to that referendum and recognize it is for the Falkland Islanders to choose their future, and as long as they choose to stay with the United Kingdom they have my 100 percent backing."

The referendum on the islands' political standings will be held in March, the BBC reported.

Falkland Islanders have also expressed their opinions on the issue, with a statement released earlier by a spokesman for the islands' government, the BBC reported. "We are not a colony-our relationship with the United Kingdom is by choice," the statement read.

"Unlike the government of Argentina, the United Kingdom respects the right of our people to determine our own affairs, a right that is enshrined in the UN Charter and which is ignored by Argentina."

Last year was the 30th anniversary of the Falkland War, which saw the occupation of the islands by Argentine forces for 74 days.