A deal has been agreed to identify more than 100 Argentinian soldiers buried on the Falkland Islands.

Britain and Argentina struck a deal over 123 graves in Darwin's Argentinian memorial cemetery, which are currently marked "soldier only known to God".

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) backed negotiations for an agreement on taking DNA samples.

Argentina - which calls the Falkland Islands "Las Malvinas" lost 649 soldiers in the 1982 conflict. Some 255 British personnel died during the successful defence of the archipelago.

Image: Falkland Islanders celebrate voting in favour of remaining British

After talks in London, Americas minister Sir Alan Duncan said he had signed a deal with Argentina's deputy minister Pedro Villagra Delgado.


The work is expected to begin by next summer.

Sir Alan tweeted: "Pleased to sign @ICRC mandate with Argentine Dep. Min Villagra to identify Argentine soldiers buried in Darwin Cemetery, Falkland Islands."

Tensions between Britain and Argentina over the Falklands flared up under former Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner but have calmed under her successor Mauricio Macri.

In a referendum on the islands in 2013 just three residents out of 1,517 were against remaining British.