Falklands veteran hopes King can persuade Trump to 'back down'

Falklands veteran hopes King can persuade Trump to 'back down'5 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleIone Wells,South America correspondentandYang TianBBCSimon Weston in NewsnightFalklands War veteran Simon Weston has said he hopes King Charles III can convince US President Donald Trump to "back down" over reports the US could review its position on the UK's claim to the territory.Weston told BBC Newsnight that Trump's "hissy fit" over the sovereignty of the islands "makes our sacrifice feel slightly irrelevant".An internal Pentagon email reported by Reuters suggested the US was considering options to punish Nato allies it believed had failed to support its war on Iran. BBC News has not been able to review the email.Downing Street has said that sovereignty of the Falkland Islands "rests with the UK" and that the islanders' right to self-determination is paramount.The Falklands remain the subject of a sovereignty dispute between the UK and Argentina, with the Argentine government saying it is willing to resume negotiations.On Friday, a US state department spokesperson was quoted as saying by AFP news agency that the US position on the islands remained "one of neutrality"."We acknowledge that there are conflicting claims of sovereignty between Argentina and the UK," the spokesperson said, adding that the US recognises "de facto United Kingdom administration" of the archipelago without taking sides on sovereignty claims.When asked about what he hoped the King's state visit to the US next week could achieve on the row, Weston said he wanted the monarch to persuade Trump to "back down and calm down"."He's [Trump] paying absolutely no heed to the humanity that he's abusing with his words because the people of the Falklands deserve more respect, but so do every veteran who served down there deserve more respect."Weston, who served as a...