Argentine deadline to Ghana for release of ARA Libertad
Argentina warned on Monday that if by Tuesday Ghana does not release the retained Navy frigate ARA Libertad it will file a claim before the UN Law of the Sea International Tribunal in Germany.
The deadline was announced on Monday by Foreign minister Hector Timerman who also pointed out that this would be the first time that a demand from a ‘vulture fund’ turns into a conflict between two sovereign nations.
“All impounds suffered by Argentina so far have been actions from ‘vulture funds’ and not from sovereign nations, and it is clear that the ‘vulture funds’ want to convert their aggressions into litigations between sovereign nations”, said Timmerman next to Defence minister Arturo Puricelli.
The minister said the conflict was triggered by the embargo on Argentine assets from a New York court, requested by the ‘vulture fund’ NML Capital belonging to US financer Paul Singer, and implemented and confirmed by a Ghana court. NML Capital is demanding from Argentina full payment of capital and interests from defaulted sovereign bonds equivalent to approximately 370 million dollars.
“Despite all the efforts and given the reluctance of Ghana to comply with its international obligations and lift the illegitimate embargo on the frigate, and taking into account that both countries are signatories of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, the Foreign Ministry following precise instructions from President Cristina Fernandez has initiated the arbitration mechanism which is the procedure for the solution to controversy between two sides and which contemplates an instance of cautionary measures before the Law of the Sea International Tribunal in the city of Hamburg”, said Timerman.
Timerman revealed that last 30 October Ghana was notified Argentina’s decision to submit the controversy to the arbitration procedure according to Article 1 from Annex VII of the Convention. Argentina requests from the Convention “to adopt the provisional measure consistent in allowing re-supply conditions and the exit of the Argentine war vessel from the jurisdictional waters”.
“The Government of Ghana has until tomorrow, Tuesday 13 to order this provisional measure and release the vessel. If not, a day later, 14 November the Argentine government will demand this measure before the Tribunal as exposed by Article 290, paragraph 5 from the Convention”.
Minister Puricelli said that at the moment of the press conference the captain of the Argentine flagship was having lunch at the port of Tema with officers from the Ghana navy to try and agree on reestablishment of the provision of power, drinking water and gas to the vessel that were cut off five days ago.
Puricelli confirmed he ordered the 44 member crew to repeal the boarding attempt to take over the vessel by local authorities, by showing their rifles. “It was an evident violation of essential humanitarian rights and at the same time there was a boarding attempt which is in clear violation of the vessel’s sovereignty. That is why I ordered the crew members to show their rifles when the boarding attempt”.
He added that following the frustrated attempt to remove the vessel, ‘contacts’ were established with Defence minister Joseph Henry Smith to request mediation together with the Foreign ministry, so that force actions decisions initiated by Tema port authorities, ceased.
Puricelli said that these contacts and actions from the Argentine Foreign ministry and the ambassador in Ghana helped to restore peace and the diplomatic path, although basic services on Monday morning remained cut off.
Also on Monday the Ghana port authorities presented a “failure to comply” court order to the Ghanaian justice system.
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49 comments Feed
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Release our ship or else....we'll just complain some more!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
I don't think Ghana has anything to worry about do you? I mean Ghana has the law on its side, and Argentina has lies, petulance and foot stamping.
Give it back give it back, or we will go crying to the UN and the EU , and the OAS , and anyone else who will listen,
We will send?? anyone who is will to go.
Give it back you bullies, you nasty horrible bullies, blab la .
Argentina,
Are you frightened ..
.
This will happen now because of the cowardly actions of the RG Captain ordering the sailors to use deadly force against unarmed civilians.
I fully expect Ghana to carry on with her legitimate decisions and I fully expect RG to go crying about the big boys tormenting the little argies with the 'vultures'.
These clowns just don't get how they make Argentina look so stupid on the worlds' stage, time after time.
And now Banki Moon has pissed on their parade well and truly.
Can Argentina EVER get rid of TMBOA and her lapdogs?
Will the people of Argentina EVER wake up and see this Bi-Polar lunatic for what she is?
Of course not!
LOLs as usual
“Foreign minister Hector Timerman who also pointed out that this would be the first time that a demand from a ‘vulture fund’ turns into a conflict between two sovereign nations.”
A conflict between two sovereign nations.
Well we know how the war ended in 1982. Yet more grieving Argentine families weeping for their lost loved ones.
Only this time, they won't be able to blame the Junta - just that common thief CFK - the person who robbed her own district government of hundreds of millions of dollars and then deposited it in Swiss bank accounts for individuals of extreme wealth.
If the sailors die, then I expect a number of Argentines will want CFK's blood in return. I doubt that she will be able to get to the airport in time to get the last plane out.
If Ghana, this time the Argies would be thousands of miles from home, mounting an attack. The Ghanaian Forces could just saunter over to the docks after breakfast, push them back into the sea, and... home for tea and toast.
As for the article, well what a pair of idiots, Ghana as a state is not involved in this dispute, its Ghana's justice system that is involved, therefore making assumptions this is a conflict between 2 nations is nothing but rethoric and propaganda, which is not surprising since their attempts to divert the argentine populations attention from their economic situation by using the falklands failed miserably, they are now alledging a conflict with another nation, in order to devirt the argentine populations attention.
By the way Argentina does not recognise the internation court of justice, so they should not be permitted to take this to the UN Law of the sea international tribunal - Especially when they reguarly act in breach of the laws of the sea themselves by obstructing ships rights of free passage.
For the record, and interest's sake, who are the missing Troll posters, please?
Well done, bouncing that lying degenerate, btw ! :-)
Well i haven't seen any posts by Think, Sussie, TTT, basically a lot of the usual suspects, since Guzz's last post yesterday afternoon. Off course some AG's are still here posting, but they probably have different IP address. And of course i can not say for certain if any other AG's apart from Guzz have had their access to the site blocked as a result of Guzz's IP address being banned, which i assume it has been, since Mercopress emailed me on sunday and said it would after his disgusting behaviour on the article about rememberance day. It may be that the others have not been online recently, but if we don't see from them for a few days, then its likely they all worked from the same Argentine governement propaganda office lol.
Poor guzz, i can just see him now having to face up to the fact that his computer says no everytime he tried to visit this site. I bet his having a right tantrum like this - www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fxkd_jd4Vb4
The ya ntrum video is great!! Lol
Poor Guzz !
I am convinced these guys get paid per post.
Witness the prolific gibberish posts of Troll, and the slag-bombs of Sussie lately.
No content, but overwhelming deluge of crap.
I bet Guzz's income has dropped sharply, and his La Campora masters are choked that half their arsenal got yanked just as the world was focused on the military remembrances of WW2 and 30 yrs of Falklands Victory!!
. Not to mention, the sh|t is just hitting the fan over the Libertad
Bad Troll - no sausage. :-(
LOL !!!
.
.
.
Chuckle chuckle©
“So now they are threatening war.”
Oh, that would be like someone trying to beat you to death with a feather pillow.... You know, not exactly fatal, but rather annoying after a while.
Do they honestly believe that this type of language will have any effect in Ghana?
The Ghanaians know several things as facts, which these two clowns appear not to know:
1. Argentina's military is only a minor threat to countries it actually shares a border with, as they have no way to move troops except by truck.
2. Ghana is a member of the African Union, and therefore can call upon its allies to help defend her, most notably South Africa and Nigeria.
3. Ghana is a member of the Commonwealth, and therefore can call upon its allies to help defend her, most notably the UK, South Africa and Nigeria.
4. Any aggressive action would see the UNSC slapping Argentina with a legally binding resolution.
5. Ghana is acting within the law.
6. Taking a case to the Interational Convention of the Sea (in essence the ICJ) takes months, if not years.
I think that the Argentine government is playing for time whilst it packs it's bags before the arrival of an angry Argentine mob, making it look like its doing something whilst at the same time not actually doing anything.
It's a naval vessel and shouldn't be impounded just because Argentina repudiated Her debts many years ago.
Might not be a very good idea to allow that.
Maybe, if the water on-board turns foul, they will all need to be taken off to hospital ?
When did Argentina pay her debts? I will give you a clue she hasn't and several are still outstanding and continue to be unpaid.
I think they used to “show their rifles” in 1982. Usually by chucking them at the advancing British and then running like hell in the other direction.
Chuckle chuckle!
Why the hell not? Argentina offered her military assets as collateral, presumably to secure more favourable terms, and then didn't pay. Until she comes to an agreement with ALL her creditors (or those who currently hold her debt) then all her sovereign property is open to expropriation.
'Argentina is “studying” the relief of its 44 crew members. They want them replaced with fresh crew.'
I imagine she was due back in RGland sometime back and all the crew would have been expecting to be home on leave for christmas not stuck in 'the whiteman's grave' aka West Africa.
The Ghanians may well stand in the way of a crew change.
Mutiny Ahoy!!!!
Bringing her to London would be great (preferably as a museum ship rather than a floating burger van though), but I don't think mooring her by the Shard is going to work (I don't think she'd fit under Tower Bridge unless you went for a low spring tide or chopping off about ten feet of mast).
Amusing thought. Beaten to death with a feather pillow!
Although they may have given it some thought, the Argentine Navy must have dismissed any chance of attempting a breakout. The Ghanaian Navy may only have patrol vessels, but some are equipped with Exocet. Not to mention the fact (as others have pointed out) that Ghana can call on the Nigerian Navy (which has considerably more vessels) and even request help from the UK and our SSN on patrol in the South Atlantic.
Argentina remembers very well what a nuclear submarine can do to their navy. It was only by a stroke of luck that they did not lose two ships when the Belgrano went down. I doubt that they will give a breakout much thought from now on.
If anything, I suspect that they will sink their own vessel at its moorings to inconvenience the Ghanaians.
Seems like most of her “nationalistic”, bring the country together against imaginary enemies aren't working out so well for her right now.
She is cornered and that corner is getting smaller and smaller everyday. She's gonna bite and I wonder who/what it will be??
December is fast approaching, extra salaries are due, extra extra salaries are being negotiated now, bond payments to vulture fund or default, Patacones or Devaluation, IMF or INDEC???...lots and lots of bad and very bad choices are going to have to be made in the next month or 2...
Is the wheat still rotting? How many million of hectares are still under water?
Rut ro
You use these names and write from London.!
I know more tomboyish names for you.
“4. Any aggressive action would see the UNSC slapping Argentina with a legally binding resolution.” Do you recall UNSC resolution 502? And how much notice did argieland take? I do tend to think that argieland should have been expelled from the UN for that.
”6. Taking a case to the Interational Convention of the Sea (in essence the ICJ) takes months, if not years.“ Not so, I'm afraid. There is a procedure called ”Prompt Release“. See Article 292 of UNCLOS. The procedure requires the Tribunal to deliver its judgement within 30 days. However, argieland would have to persuade the Tribunal that ”Prompt Release“ is appropriate.
@22 What???? Don't you read anything? The vessel is detained because argieland is refusing to pay some of its debts. This is laudable, how? That it is a naval vessel is irrelevant. Argieland waived its ”immunity“. So it's fair game. Argieland still has debts to pay and a US court has said that it must pay ALL creditors, not just those that agreed to accept 30%!
@23 When some hijackers or other criminals get tired, are they allowed to have replacements? Ghana should refuse to even let a ”fresh” crew into their country.
@32 Historically, Spain and its offshoots prefer the garotte. Wouldn't that be fun for the Wicked Witch?
Also i don't post from london either, i live at the other end of england. But thats only if am actually in the UK at the time.
i think you don't need to lie,
thats more...
please cut your very longed curly hair .
It's a way to uphold international law - the biggest navy in the world doesn't want it's ships seized illegally, either. Other reasons the US will back Argentina: NML owners are Republican donors, so it's a way to punish rivals of the Admin; and because it sends a message to the Last Holdouts who hurt the other debtholders by refusing to go along with the majority settlement, which helps break financial deadlock and get the show on the road.
This is not even an issue of Republican or democrat in the USA....it shows how little you know about American law. It is not like RG law......go back to the camp troll.
Grow up!
www.americanthinker.com/2012/10/how_to_destroy_a_rich_country.html
On -topic:
We have your boat.
The crew is stuck overvXmas because of CFK and the long court challenge.
After that, the ship will be gone...
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