Argentina’s nationalized oil company YPF signed on Wednesday an agreement with US oil major Chevron Corp to define the terms and conditions of Chevron's investment of 1.5 billion dollars in the vast Vaca Muerta shale field.
President Federico Franco said Paraguay has long cancelled its debts for the construction of two huge shared hydroelectric dams with its powerful neighbours and demanded Argentina pay for the surplus energy it receives and compensation for flooding Paraguayan territory.
Argentine President Cristina Fernández defended her controversial judiciary reform and announced that deep reforms require “amendments to the Constitution”. However, she emphasized she would not push any initiative in that sense.
Argentine and Uruguayan magistrates and prosecutors are investigating an alleged network of corruption money, and probably money laundering involving former president Nestor Kirchner and close political and business cronies some of which continue in key positions or proximity to current head of state Cristina Fernandez.
Argentina’s inflation in April was 1.52% and 23.67% in the last twelve months according to the so called Congress index which is calculated by private agencies and was released on Tuesday.
Spain’s Foreign Affairs Minister José Manuel García Margallo said the Spanish government is no longer “discussing” Argentina’s “sovereign decision to seek energy sectors’ control.” “It could seem to me a mistake, but it is the responsibility” of the Argentine government, García Margallo stated.
An Argentine appeals court threw out the fines that Domestic Trade Secretary Guillermo Moreno had slapped on private firms that issued inflation estimates that were much higher than the government’s official rate.
Trading of the ‘blue’ or parallel dollar in Argentina remained flat on Monday for a second day following last week’s events when the 10 Pesos barrier was broken and the government reacted with a tax amnesty or whitewashing draft bill promising all dollar assets holders a new clean record and no questions asked if they turn their greenbacks into government bonds or promissory notes.
Argentina is negotiating with China a new 10 billon dollars equivalent swap of international reserves support based on the experience of 2009 when the global financial crisis. The new accord should theoretically help Argentina strengthen its international position vis-à-vis the run on the dollar (or the flight from the Peso) and which has cost the Central bank 4 billion dollars so far this year.
Visiting Chinese Vice-president Li Yuanchao expressed on Friday “full support for Argentina’s sovereign claims over the Malvinas Islands” while his Argentine peer, Amado Boudou matched his words ratifying the ‘one China’ policy.