PM Brown won't discuss Falklands

SANTIAGO, Chile, March 27 (UPI) -- British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said he would not negotiate with Argentina over the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands.

Speaking during a visit to Chile, Brown said his scheduled meeting with Argentine President Cristina Kirchner would not include talks on the future of the islands off the coast of Argentina, Britain's Telegraph newspaper reported Friday.

"There is nothing to discuss from our side," said Brown. "The essential principle has always been that the islands should determine the issue of sovereignty for themselves."

Argentina and Britain fought a short-lived war over the Falklands in 1982 in which the islands remain under British sovereignty.

However Kirchner has promised Argentines that she would continue to pursue Argentina's claim on the islands.