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MPs have sought assurances from the foreign secretary that Britain remains committed to protecting the Falkland Islands.
During Commons question time this afternoon, former minister Tom Watson called for the Foreign Office to dispatch a minister to the islands to emphasise London’s commitment to the region.
But Miliband said he doubted whether the military really needed the reinforcement of a "ministerial flack jacket".
Veteran Tory MP Nicholas Winterton (Macclesfield) urged ministers to "avoid the mistakes of the 1980s", when he said Argentina had been encouraged to invade the islands as they thought the UK would not protect them.
The foreign secretary said there was "no doubt" about the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands and said there would be no negotiations with Argentina on the issue.
He said the oil companies operating in the waters off the islands were acting within their rights and within international law.
And Foreign Office minister Chris Bryant said that Argentina’s reaction to energy exploration in the region would not change the British position on the islands "one iota".
He told MPs that he did not see the need for American secretary of state Hilary Clinton to act as a facilitator for discussions over sovereignty as there was "nothing to discuss".
MPs had earlier poked fun at the foreign secretary's relationship with Clinton, who as Labour MP Keith Vaz reminded the House, had called Miliband "vibrant and attractive".
Following a question about whether ministers planned to visit Cuba, Miliband said he would be "delighted" to take up the suggestion shouted by many MPs that he visit the country with the American secretary of state.
Dods Parliamentary Communications Ltd