(Image source: The Telegraph ) BY NATHAN BYRNE The dispute over the Falkland Islands could be heating up more than 30 years after the brief but bloody war between Argentina and the United Kingdom. CNN has more on the open letter from Argentina’s president to the U.K.’s prime minister. “She calls on the U.K. to return the islands to Argentine jurisdiction. British rule over the territory began 180 years ago today in what President de Kirchner calls, ‘a blatant exercise in 19th century colonialism.’” The letter was published as an ad in two U.K. newspapers — The Guardian and The Independent . It addresses Prime Minister David Cameron, and U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is copied on it. The British government has since responded by saying the islanders want to be British. The letter comes ahead of a referendum on the islands’ political status scheduled for March. Commentators on Sky News asked a British university professor from the Falkland Islands how he felt about “constant diplomatic saber-rattling by Cristina Kirchner.” “We’re getting pretty used to the Argentine rhetoric. It’s incredibly [frustrating]. But particularly with the referendum in the Falklands being held this year. We’re not surprised at all that there’s been some reaction from Argentina.” The Telegraph’s senior political correspondent says the 212-word letter calls on Cameron to honor the 1965 United Nations resolution and start negotiations to hand over the islands. It also repeatedly refers to the islands by their Spanish name, the Malvinas, which is preferred by the Argentine government. Is the letter part of a larger political effort? A smoke-and-mirrors tactic, even? One BBC reporter expands on that line of thinking. “It is seen, I think, in some quarters — this campaign — as partly about Argentine politics trying to distract from some of the economic woes and problems back home.” A Los Angeles Times writer calls it the latest attempt by the Argentine government to regain control of the islands. Recent efforts include a ban on ships flying British flags in Argentine waters and an attempt to assert Argentine control over oil exploration off the coast of Antarctica. (SOC) ###