The Prime Minister ordered Hector Timerman, the Argentinian foreign minister, to “respect” the fact the Islands are British after he made a fresh claim on the islands and claimed oil ventures are “illegal”.
The Argentinian President, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, claimed this morning Mr Cameron became "irate" during the clash.
"The prime minister`s response was irate, almost ill-mannered," she said.
The row took place at a dinner in Brussels at a summit to build trade ties between Europe and Latin America.
In a move designed to delight domestic voters, Mr Timerman told Mr Cameron that the Islands – known as Las Malvinas – are Argentinian and accused Britain of “colonialism”.
“The Argentine government expects countries from the European Union to support the United Nations resolution that urges Argentina and the UK to dialogue over the Malvinas Islands,” he said, according to an account in South American press.
“Extracting natural resources that belong to the Argentine people is totally illegal.
“182 years ago, the United Kingdom expelled Argentine population and authorities from the Malvinas islands, breaking the territorial integrity of my country,” he said.
"Colonialism still persists, relying on the logic of appropriation of natural resources. In recent months the South Atlantic has witnessed hydrocarbons explorations in the proximity of the Malvinas Islands”.
Mr Cameron’s responded: “As regards the Argentine Minister’s statements, I would like to reply, and I would like my words to be recorded in the minutes.
“The Falklands have the right to self determination and the surrounding waters are under jurisdiction of the Falklands.
“I reject the threatening words of the Argentine Foreign Minister”
A Downing Street spokesman said: "At the dinner, the Prime Minister robustly defended the Falklands and the Islanders` right to self-determination in response the Argentine Foreign Minister raising the issue.
“The Prime Minister underlined that the Islanders had expressed their view in a referendum and that should be respected.
“He went on to add that the waters around the Falklands were territorial waters and it was unacceptable of Argentina to threaten investors seeking to operate there.”
It came as Argentina yesterday marked the “Day of affirmation of the Argentine Rights over the Malvinas”, marking the anniversary of the country establishing a military command over the Islands in 1829. They were captured by the British four years later.
A statement issued by the Argentinian embassy in London attacked the “anachronistic colonial situation” and said the “peaceful recovery” of the Islands is “an unrelinquished objective of the Argentine people”.
It claimed that oil exploration by British firms could result in an “environmental catastrophe”.
The lengthy statement made no mention of the 1982 war, in which 659 Argentinians and 258 Britons died after the Buenos Aires junta invaded the islands.
Today Mr Cameron will hold meetings with the leaders of Belgium, Finland, Romania and Spain in Brussels as he sets out his EU reform programme.
Last night he met President Anastasiades of Cyprus at the home of the British Permanent Representative to the EU. The President “said that Cyprus shared many of our concerns and they would be keen to work with us,” according to a Downing Street account of the meeting.
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