The Falkland Islands will belong to Argentina one day, according to a senior politician in the country's ruling party.

But Daniel Filmus, who is chairman of the foreign affairs committee in the Argentine senate, said Argentina would not try to take the disputed islands by force.

In an interview with Radio Five Live's Breakfast programme, he said: "There's no suppression which lasts forever.

"It's just a matter of how much time it takes for it to be understood that there must be dialogue and the need to find a mechanism for diplomatic agreement to get us there."

Speaking ahead of the 30th anniversary of the start of the Falklands War, which began on April 2 1982, Mr Filmus said Argentines "have enough patience and know what is right".

Argentina has revived the dispute over the islands it calls Las Malvinas as the anniversary approaches.

Filmus told the programme: "It is in our constitution and it is in the hearts of all Argentinians that sooner or later we will regain the Malvinas, which is just 700km off our coastline and more than 14,000 km from the British coast, along with all the riches that are there - fishing, oil and the Antarctic projects.

"And this is something that concerns the sovereignty not just of Argentina but the whole of Latin America."