23 to withdraw. That State does not heed the demand. The victim. according to Mr. Ros, would then be obliged to fold his arms and allow the aggressor to continue his aggression and to digest its fruits. 267. A moment’s thought would lead any fair- minded observer to conclude that the Charter could not have been intended to produce that result and that the Council could not have produced that result by reso- lution 502 ( 1982). 268. The Under-Secretary also argued that self- defence could be exercised “only as an immediate reac- tion to protect essential interests” [236&h mctirz,g, po~tr. 581. The essential interests of the United King- dom include the protection of British territory and British nationals. The Falkland Islands are British territory on the basis of history from the eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth centuries. We have occupied and administered the islands in all three centuries and continuously since 1833. The people of the Falkland Islands are British subjects who have chosen to main- tain their present way of life and political institutions in free and fair elections. 269. Can there be any doubt in the mind of anyone that the United Kingdom is entitled to protect its terri- tory and its people? 270. A further argument of Mr. Ros was that “the United Kingdom could not allege any imminent and grave danger” [ihid., po/‘rr. 501. The Argentine invasion of 2 April not only posed an imminent and grave danger but it was determined by the Council to have caused an actual breach of the peace. It flies in the face of reason that there was no imminent and grave danger. There was an actual and grave dangel to the people of the Falkland Islands: that they would continue for ever to be governed by an alien rkgime which they most decidedly and unanimously did not 
**Analysis**
The text appears to be discussing a political and diplomatic dispute between the United Kingdom and Argentina regarding the Falkland Islands. It seems to be focused on the sovereignty of the islands and the UK's right to defend its territory and people. The text also mentions the Charter of the United Nations and the actions taken by the UN Security Council.

**Category**
International trade, Humanitarian aid and relief