Presidential visit to UN and US; AMIA negotiation agreed with Iran; government steps up attacks on Grupo Clar?n?
Presidential visit to UN and US
President Cristina Fern?ndez de Kirchner undertook a trip to the United States of America this week, during which she spoke at the General Assembly of the United Nations and at the universities of Georgetown and Harvard.
In her address to the UN on Tuesday, Fern?ndez de Kirchner reproached the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Christine Lagarde, for her threat to issue Argentina a ?red card? if it does not improve the quality of its official economic data.?
By way of reply, the President stated: ?my country is not a football team, it is a sovereign nation which makes sovereign decisions about its economy.?
AMIA negotiation agreed with Iran
Fern?ndez de Kirchner also confirmed that Foreign Minister H?ctor Timerman would have a bilateral meeting with his Iranian counterpart to discuss co-operation in investigating the 1994 terrorist attack against the Asociaci?n Mutual Israelita Argentina (Israeli Argentina Mutual Association- AMIA) in Buenos Aires.
The announcement caused consternation in the Argentine Jewish community. Although those responsible for the attack, which left 85 dead, have never been identified, there are suspicions that they include current and former Iranian officials.
After the meeting, which occurred two days later, the Argentine Foreign Ministry issued a press release stating that negotiations between the two countries would continue in October in Geneva. The Israeli government expressed ?great disappointment? at the decision.
Presidential speeches at universities become uncomfortable
After appearing at the General Assembly in New York, President Fern?ndez de Kirchner also gave speeches at Georgetown University in Washington D.C., where she inaugurated a lecture series on Argentina, and at Harvard?s John F. Kennedy School of Government (Cambridge, Mass.).
At both university events, the President took questions from the floor, a fact which a student at Georgetown suggested went against her normal practices in Argentina. Fern?ndez de Kirchner insisted that she spoke with journalists ?every day?.
The association of journalists accredited to the Casa Rosada (seat of the Executive) in Buenos Aires rapidly issued a statement denying that this was the case, and claiming that the last official presidential press conference was held on 15 August 2011.
At the Harvard event, she took exception to questions about the extent of her personal fortune and the alleged attacks on press freedom in Argentina. She insinuated that students had been fed questions by journalists, and suggested that the standard of debate was not worthy of of an institution with stature of Harvard.
Government steps up attacks on Grupo Clar?n
The conflict between the Argentine government and the country?s largest media group grew more intense this week, with both sides releasing television adverts explaining their interpretation of Argentina?s 2009 Media Law.
On Sunday 23 September, the government released a 4 minute long TV spot telling viewers that the Grupo Clar?n had failed to comply with article 161 of the law, and that as a result it held more than the permitted amount of cable ?and free-to-air television and radio licenses.
If the group did not take steps to rectify the situation by 7 December, according to the spot, the government would be ?forced? to issue a public call for tenders on the ?illegal? media licenses. Grupo Clar?n owns 240 cable TV channels across the country, as well as the most widely-read newspaper, and since 2008 has been strongly opposed to the current government.
The spot emphasised that the government would not ?expropriate or nationalise? any media networks.
On the following day, Grupo Clar?n released its own TV spot, claiming that the government was misrepresenting the law, and that there should be no change to the company?s situation on 7 December.
According the the Grupo Clar?n ad, after that date the Supreme Court will still have a year to decide on the constitutionality of article 161 of the law, which regulates the maximum number of broadcast licenses.
The Sociedad Interamericana de Prensa (Interamerican Press Society ? SIP) issued a statement backing Grupo Clar?n and accusing the government of failing to respect the company?s legal action and ?threatening the press?.
The writer can be reached at?paulmerchant1@gmail.com?/ Twitter:@PaulMerchant2?
Source: http://www.pulsamerica.co.uk/2012/10/01/argentina-presidential-visit-to-un-and-us/
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