MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentine minister recommends US diplomacy “to hire more competent employees”

Minister De Vido responds to Wikileaks cables corruption allegations

Argentina’s Federal Planning Minister Julio De Vido referred to the recently published Wikileaks documents by Spanish newspaper El Pais, and advised the US embassy in Buenos Aires “to hire more competent employees” since performing a “cut-and-paste task from the yellow press is something any idiot can do.”

Mr. De Vido said on Wednesday the alleged information contained in the reports “are from the Urgente 24 website,” and were published on line seven months ago.

The classified documents, sent between 2007 and 2009 and signed by then US ambassador to Argentina, Anthony Wayne, and chargé d’affairs Thomas Kelly, mentioned an alleged “fragile judicial system” and stressed that many criminals “enjoyed impunity” in the country.

One of the cables spoke of an alleged accusation of bribery which was made against one of Mr. De Vido’s employees by a staff member of a German company. The accusation was allegedly dismissed by Minister De Vido.

“This is absolutely false. I have no dealings and have never had any dealings or accusations coming from a German company, or anything like it.”

The minister assured that newspapers Clarín and La Nación were putting the news in the front cover today even though the whole matter took place seven months ago.

“Every one pretends to be dismayed by this, and the truth is that this nonsense doesn’t even deserve an explanation.”

Mr. De Vido closed by “strongly rejecting” the accusations made in the cables.

“If they were true, I would have told that person to take the case to the police. If a government official asks you for a bribe, do you go see the minister and complain about it? Or do you take the case to a judge and the police