MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

UK supports Uruguayan forces

Britain donated the Uruguayan Defence Ministry a satellite communication system for the Uruguayan Armed Forces contingents operating in United Nations peace keeping operations.

The 40,000 US dollars Satcom portable equipment is similar to that used by British forces and is part of growing links at defence level between both countries. Last March three UK Army Colonels participated in Montevideo in a "Training the trainers" program for Uruguayan officers involved in United Nations peace keeping operations. Uruguay this year is celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of its involvement in UN peace missions and has been chosen as a centre to prepare future Latinamerican officers for UN duties. Last May Uruguay's Defence Minister Luis Brezzo was invited to visit British United Nations Forces training centres and a month ago a Uruguayan Army officer completed a Munitions and Ordnance course in United Kingdom. The Satcom system should facilitate communications for the thousand servicemen (including fifty women) Uruguay actually has in the Democratic Republic of Congo in a major UN peace keeping operation. Uruguayan naval forces opened up the Congo river to civilian traffic and now are responsible for security in the fluvial area. The Air Force runs, manages and keeps control of Congo's six main airports and medical teams with Army support are helping in the former combat areas. Uruguay's peace keeping missions actually began 65 years ago, with the League of Nations following the Paraguay-Bolivia conflict. Since 1952 more than 10,000 Uruguayan servicemen have been involved under United Nations command in Kashmir, Angola, Rwanda, Cambodia, Sinai Peninsula, Western Sahara, Mozambique, Georgia, Iraq-Iran, and now Congo.

Only Banderas can manage it?

Plaza de Mayo, the main square in Buenos Aires and Argentina's mythical political heart will remain closed to the public over the weekend until early Monday while the popular Spanish actor Antonio Banderas films his last production, "Imagining Argentina". According to press reports, and in spite of the wonderful weather, "porteños" were barred from strolling and browsing in the symbol of their most popular expression. Banderas, under the direction of Christopher Hamptom, represents a play writer who is directly involved with the next of kin of the "disappeared", the thousands of innocent and dissident Argentines who were kidnapped (tortured and killed) by the ruling military dictatorships, and never were found. However his special touch to identify family members of the disappeared comes to an abrupt end when the military kidnap his wife, played by Emma Thompson, a journalist in the black list of the government. The script of the film is based on the book written by Lawrence Thornton, "Imagining Argentina", and is co financed by Spain and Britain. In July Banderas filmed several scenes in Casa Rosada, Government House next to Plaza de Mayo. This is the third time Banderas comes to Buenos Aires for acting. Previously he participated in a film based on a book written by the leading Chilean writer Isabel Allende, and later in "Evita" next to none other but Madonna. Apparently low costs are increasingly attracting the international film industry to Argentina.