"They were the WE177 nuclear depth charges," a British defence ministry spokesman told AFP, confirming earlier reports from Buenos Aires.

"As far as going into the exclusion zone that had been set up, our available records don't make that clear, but we believe that they would have done," the spokesman said.

The British navy set up a 200-mile (322-kilometre) exclusion zone around the Falkland Islands in 1982 to prohibit foreign vessels from antering the area.

"The weapons did not enter the Falkland Islands territorial area," the spokesman said.

He also said the weapons were damaged during a shi-to-ship transfer but there was no risk.

Argentina's Defence Minister Jose Pampuro said earlier Friday that his president, Nestor Kirchner, had held meetings with concerned ministers "into the early hours" to examine the issue.

Pampuro said the information, which came to light in the Clarin newspaper, had been received with "a lot of concern," the Argentine government's Telam news agency reported.

Britain dispatched a naval task force to the South Atlantic in 1982 after Argentine forces invaded the Falkland Islands, which Argentines call the Malvinas.

"We're confirming that during the Falklands campaign we did have some nuclear weapons," the spokesman said.

They "were being carried with the task force and were transferred from ships for safety reasons, from ship to ship to comply with (international) obligations," the British defence ministry spokesman said.

"Within the period of the transfer some of the containers were damaged," the spokesman said.

"It was mostly minor to the exterior of seven of the containers that were holding the weapons and they were all found to be subsequently safe," he said.

Argentina still claims the islands, which have been in British hands since

The 1982 war cost the lives of 648 Argentine soldiers and 255 British.

WAR.WIRE