Sarkozy stops of short of committing French help to UK over Falklands

LONDON - French President Nicolas Sarkozy has ducked out of vowing to send in a French aircraft carrier if Britain needs its to defend the Falklands.

Asked in London if he would be prepared to despatch his navy’s Charles de Gaulle if the Argentines invaded the British territory again, The Sun quoted Sarkozy as saying: “If you, my British friends, have to face a major crisis, could you imagine France simply sitting there, its arms crossed, saying that it’s none of our business? We share the same values, our interests are fair.”

But he stopped short of saying yes.

The Falklands War was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom (UK) over the disputed Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. The Falkland Islands consist of two large and many small islands in the South Atlantic Ocean east of Argentina; their name and sovereignty over them have long been disputed.

The Falklands War started on Friday, 2 April 1982, with the Argentine invasion and occupation of the Falkland Islands and South Georgia.

Britain launched a naval task force to engage the Argentine Navy and Argentine Air Force, and retake the islands by amphibious assault.

The conflict ended with the Argentine surrender on 14 June 1982, and the islands remained under British control. The war lasted 74 days. (ANI)