UN Calls On Britain To Hold Falklands Talks

A UN committee has approved a resolution calling on the UK and Argentina to negotiate over the Falkland Islands.

The vote's outcome essentially favours Argentina's stance in the 200-year dispute.

Britain has previously rebuffed the South American nation's calls to negotiate the archipelago's ownership, saying it is up to the islands to decide.

Argentina's foreign minister Hector Timerman, speaking at the UN Special Committee on Decolonisation, claimed the UK's refusal to "fulfil its obligations to negotiate" over the islands' sovereignty went against the founding principle of the UN.

"It is imperative that the United Kingdom sits down again at the negotiating table," he said.

He added that Britain's absence at the meeting, for the fourth year running, indicated a lack of interest in solving the feud.

"What the United Nations has been asking since 1982, year after year, is the resumption of negotiations between the two sides," said Mr Timerman, as the UN committee unanimously approved the resolution on the issue.

Mr Timerman said that Buenos Aires was committed to exploring "all possible avenues to achieve the peaceful settlement of the dispute".

Falklands residents gave speeches at the UN meeting, saying they were "happy with the current status and don't want to change it."

"We would be delighted to have friendly and normal relations with all our neighbours, but instead Argentina does not accept us as a people and refuses to deal directly with our government," said Falklands official Mike Summers.

In a referendum last year, Falkland Islanders voted by 1,513 votes to three in favour of remaining British.

The UK Mission to the UN was critical of the committee for ignoring the outcome of the referendum.

"It is disappointing that once again the C24 has not respected the clear and democratic expression of the Falkland Islanders' wishes and continues to describe the Falkland Islands' constitutional relationship with the UK as a 'colonial situation,'" the mission said.

There have been recent skirmishes between the two countries over the rocky South Atlantic archipelago, which Argentina refers to as Isla Malvinas.

In April, Britain was accused of demonstrating a "show of force" for conducting military exercises on the islands which led to the British ambassador in Buenos Aires being summoned by Argentina's deputy foreign minister.

Last December, the UK accused Argentina of "bullying tactics" over its threat to punish oil firms operating off the Falklands Islands with heavy fines and other penalties.

The islands have been ruled by Britain since 1833, but Argentina claims them as their own and invaded them in 1982 in an attempt to seize control, which resulted in a war between the two countries.