Argentina summons British ambassador over spying charge

Argentina on Thursday summoned British Ambassador to Buenos Aires John Freeman over revelation that Britain used a special spy team to wage a propaganda war against the South American country.

The campaign aimed to garner support for Britain in its territorial dispute with Argentina over the Malvinas Islands, known to the British as the Falklands, Xinhua reported citing the Argentina's foreign affairs ministry.

"The Argentine government summoned...Freeman 'to demand an explanation'... regarding the revelations of large-scale electronic spying directed against Argentina over the Malvinas question," the ministry said.

The Intercept and Argentine cable news channel Todo Noticias jointly published last Thursday the revelation that "between 2006 and 2011...the British government spied on various Argentine leaders and military chiefs to find out the country's plans and objectives in its territorial dispute over the Malvinas Islands," Telam said.