The Sun
Argie Fishticuffs
AN Argentinian warship has confronted a Falklands trawler as tensions over the islands escalate.
The crew were accused of fishing illegally, despite being 3.5 miles INSIDE Falklands waters.
The two boats became locked in a menacing stand-off on Thursday - the first confrontation of its kind for FOUR years. The belligerent Argentinians demanded to know details of the Port Stanley vessel - the FV Venturer - and radioed its crew.
The warship stayed just on the edge of Argentinian waters and eventually the Venturer moved away to avoid a bigger clash.
Falklands officials last night said they were "concerned" about the hostile encounter which comes amid rows over the islands' fishing stocks and oil reserves.
John Barton, Falklands head of natural resources, said: "It's a concern, it's a nuisance and it's unsettling for the fishing vessel.
"We used to have a good relationship with the Argentinians on fishing conservation. This is the first incident I can remember for quite some time."
One member of the fishing crew said: "It just the Argentinians being the Argentinians - and harassing us." In 2006 Argentina arrested the John Cheek trawler and took it back to South America to pay a huge fine.
Just two weeks ago the country's president Cristina Kirchner slammed the UK over a huge oil exploration campaign under the Falklands' coastal waters.
Tests have shown there could be
700 million barrels of crude there worth around 3BILLION.