Britain said Thursday that it would not negotiate with Argentina over the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands, known in Argentina as the Malvinas.

"Our position is well-known: we will not negotiate... unless the islanders want us to do so," the British Embassy in Buenos Aires said in a statement.

"The Falklands are not our colony. The United Kingdom is only responsible for defense and foreign policy. All other decisions are taken and financed by the democratically-elected government of the islands," the embassy said.

The statement was issued in response to Tuesday's statement by Argentine Foreign Minister Jorge Taiana, who told the General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS) that Britain was reluctant to start talks about the islands, which lie off the coast of Argentina in southern Atlantic and were occupied by British troops in 1833.

Chile, Paraguay, Nicaragua, Bolivia, Peru, Panama and Ecuador then supported a Brazilian motion to the OAS, calling on Argentina and Britain to restart negotiations.

"The United Kingdom thinks that the best way to go forward is to make bilateral agreements that benefit all sides," the embassy said. "We are still waiting for Argentine proposals about a series of topics that could improve things."

Following the statement, the Argentine foreign minister said "Britain has been deaf to repeated calls... to decolonize the islands," and repeated a call for the OAS to "urge the UK to change its response."

(Xinhua News Agency June 9, 2006)