it has been insistent on loaded arrangements in the Falklands which, if accepted, would inevitably lead to conceding its demalid of sovereignty. That, of course, ignores the rights df the Falklanders, and therein lies the problem in getting to the negotiating table. 218. AS the United Kingdom delegation has noted, the inhabitants of the Falkland Islands constitute a permanent population with roots in many cases stretching back to the early part of the last century. The fact that there is only a small number of them does not diminish the importance they attach to choosing the kind of life they want and the kind of government they want, They must enjoy the same rights of con- sultation as any other peoples, including those who inhabit other small islands and territories. This is an obligation shared not only by the United Kingdom and Argentina but by the international community as a whole. 219. In short, what we have here is no simple wrangle over colonialism, as some would have us believe. Indeed, if Argentina’s aggression were allowed to persist, it would itself amount to COIO- nialism. The fact is that the islanders have not shown any evident desire to change the essentially British administtation in which they have been able to take part through their elected representatives. In free and fair elections, the most recent in October I98 1, they have shown a preference for the strrt~!.~ L/LI(J. 220. But even if the facts were otherwise, even if its claims were weII founded, Argentina would still have no warrant for its use of force to try to estab- lish by WLI~ dc /w/in what it had not succeeded in obtaining at the conference table. On the contrary, Argentina’s invasion of the islands was in clear viola- tion of Article 2, paragraphs 3 and 4, of the Charter of 
**Analysis**
The text appears to be a diplomatic statement or a report discussing a territorial dispute between the United Kingdom and Argentina, focusing on the rights of the Falkland Islands' inhabitants and the implications of Argentina's invasion. The language used is formal and diplomatic, suggesting a high-level discussion or negotiation.

**Category**
International relations, Politics