By Mariano Castillo, CNN

updated 11:33 AM EDT, Tue June 12, 2012

Locator map of the Falkland Islands.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

(CNN) — The Falkland Islands government announced Tuesday that the British territory will hold a referendum on its political status.

The vote is intended to affirm islanders’ desire to remain a self-governing territory of the United Kingdom and to reject claims of ownership by nearby Argentina.

The Argentine government in recent months has stepped up its rhetoric over the Falklands, saying that the U.K. is exploiting the resources of the islands it calls Las Malvinas. The British defeated Argentina in a 1982 war over the territory.

“We have thought carefully about how to convey a strong message to the outside world that expresses the views of the Falklands people in a clear, democratic and incontestable way,” said Gavin Short, chairman of the Falklands legislative assembly. “So we have decided, with the full support of the British government, to hold a referendum on the Falkland Islands to eliminate any possible doubt about our wishes.”

The vote will take place in the first half of 2013.

The Argentine government did not immediately respond to the announcement.

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