MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Five leaders miss CFK inauguration ceremony to be aired live in Youtube

Another first for President Cristina Fernandez

The presidents of Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador and Mexico, Hugo Chávez, Juan Manuel Santos, Ollanta Humala, Rafael Correa and Felipe Calderón have cancelled their trips to Buenos Aires and won’t attend President Cristina Fernández inauguration ceremony on Saturday.

“I won’t attend President Cristina Fernández ceremony tomorrow because we are undergoing a winter emergency,” Colombian Head of State Santos assured. He will be represented by Colombian Foreign Minister María Angela Holguín.

Meanwhile Brazilian Instituti Cidadania confirmed that the visit Chávez was going to pay to former president Lula da Silva was cancelled due to the strong rains that called for an emergency state in several regions of Venezuela.

Likewise, Peruvian president Ollanta Humala cancelled his visit due to internal schedule problems with peasants protesting against mining projects which forced to militarize several regions of the country.

“Within the framework of the excellent relationship that Peru maintains with Argentina, the Head o State has decided that the Foreign Minister Rafael Roncoglio is to represent him in such event” according to a communiqué released by the Peruvian Press Secretariat.

Humala, who faces several social protests, was expected to arrive in Buenos Aires Friday.

Ecuador’s Rafael Correa and Mexico’s Felipe Calderón, alleging “internal problems” also announced they will be represented by their Foreign Affairs ministers.
Spain has sent Crown Prince Felipe and the US Labour Secretary, Hilda Solis.

In related news it was announced by official sources that Cristina Fernández inauguration ceremony will be the first ever to be streamed live on popular video website Youtube. The ceremony will be broadcasted in High Definition and will begin at 11.45 am, with the Head of State’s arrival in Congress.

Internet users will have to log to www.youtube.com/casarosada to access the streaming.

The deal to stream the inauguration ceremony, the first ever in Youtube history, was reached when Google Vice-president Vint Clerf met Cristina Fernández in his visit to Argentina on October 23rd.

The Argentine Government House’s Youtube-channel was launched a year ago and features 650 videos, including speeches, behind the scenes clips, versions of the Argentine National Anthem recorded by different artists and concerts. Beginning December 10th, all of President Cristina Fernandez rallies and ceremonies will be streamed online live as well.