Argentina says Britain has nuclear weapons in Falklands

UNITED NATIONS: Argentina on Friday accused Britain of sending nuclear weapons to the disputed Falkland islands, while UN leader Ban Ki-moon appealed to both sides to avoid an "escalation" of their sovereignty battle.

With both countries about to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Falklands War, Argentina's Foreign Minister Hector Timerman called the islands "the last refuge of a declining empire."

Britain's UN ambassador said his country would "robustly" defend the Falklands and while Britain wanted talks with Argentina, he insisted there could be no sovereignty negotiations unless the population wanted it.

Timerman said Britain had sent a nuclear submarine to the South Atlantic and was "militarizing the region" in breach of a 1967 Latin American treaty which bans the presence, pursuit or use of nuclear weapons.

Argentina invaded the islands, which it calls the Malvinas, in 1982 and Britain sent a naval force to reclaim the territory. Argentina has since regularly taken its claim to the islands to the United Nations.

Timerman made a complaint to the UN secretary general and UN Security Council about the "militarization" but it was unclear whether it had demanded any followup action. (AFP)