Argentina has held a series of memorial services to mark the 30th anniversary of the sinking of the General Belgrano.

The cruiser, which was torpedoed by a British nuclear submarine on the 2 May 1982, resulted in the death of 323 crew, and remains one of the most controversial incidents of the conflict.

The attack on the ship was order by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher while it was sailing outside the 200-mile exclusion zone implemented by the British. It was also heading away from the Falkland Islands when it was attacked.

After the sinking, the Tory leader argued that that vessel had posed a threat to Royal Navy shipping despite its positioning and its consequent destruction was therefore justified.

Defence Minister Arturo Puricelli at a ceremony in Buenos Aires

Families of the victims attended various ceremonies in Argentina to mark the anniversary. In Buenos Aries, President Cristina Fernandez used the occasion to reaffirm her country’s claims on the islands, while Admiral Jorge Castro, one of the 770 survivor of the stricken cruiser, reminded the crowd that the mission was “not over”.

"There are 323 voices calling to us that there is an open wound," he said. "Every day they remind us that the Malvinas are, were and will be Argentine."

Fernandez has repeatedly asked the British government to open a dialogue on the islands’ sovereignty, but Whitehall has steadfastly refused to countenance any discussion, claiming the islanders' right to self-determination is paramount.

On Friday, the Argentine government screened a controversial advert that shows one of its Olympic athletes training on the Falkland Islands. The advert ran under the slogan: "To compete on English soil, train on Argentine soil".