News In Brief

Falkland talks collapse due to Beagle dispute

A British newspaper said Sunday that a major concession by Argentina to Chile over their Beagle Channel dispute led directly to last week's abrupt collapse of talks with Britain on the Falkland Islands.

The Observer said Argentina had offered Chile right of access to the Atlantic through the long-disputed Beagle Channel, in a move strongly criticized by President Raul Alfonsin's right-wing opponents.

His government decided at the last moment to adopt a hard-line approach in the talks with Britain on the Falkland (Malvinas) Islands in order to mollify critics of its Chilean policy, the paper said.