MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Breaking News from South America.

April 2nd., National Holiday.

Argentine Congress reinstated April 2nd. as a national holiday under the denomination of "Day of the Veteran and Fallen in the Malvinas War". The new holiday that remembers the 1982 Argentine invasion will replace June 10th., which until now was identified as "Day of the Affirmation of Argentine Rights over the Malvinas, Antarctic Islands and areas". The June 10th., holiday dates back to 1984 under former president Raúl Alfonsín's administration, the majority party of the current ruling coalition headed by president Fernando De la Rúa. The 1984 decision overruled a March 1983 military government bill that had established April 2nd. as the "Day of the Malvinas, Georgias del Sur and Sandwich del Sur Islands". The new Law , (25.370) revokes 1983 and 1984 bills.

F 16 controversy in Chile.

Chilean government conditioned the 600 million US dollars acquisition of twelve Lockheed Martin F 16 combat fighters to the full delivery of the C/D Block 50/52 version that includes state of the art medium range air to air Amraam missiles. The strong Chilean reaction followed US Ambassador John O'Leary announcement in Santiago that the aircraft will not be supplied with Amraam missiles, unless some other country in the area possesses weapons of similar technology. Ambassador O'Leary explained that although United States agreed to sell the F 16 with all the weapons systems requested by the Chilean Air Force, including Amraam, the missiles will not be delivered because of a '97 Clinton decision demands a case by case consideration for new weapons sales to Latinamerica. "We're not going to be the first to introduce sophisticated weapons to the area", underlined US Ambassador O'Leary. In an official release the Chilean government said that the Lockheed contract will be signed once all conditions requested have been "fully satisfied". Chilean press speculated this could open the door for the other candidates in the Chilean wing renewal competition, French Mirage 2000-5 and the Swedish-British JAS-29 Gripen. The Chilean press also mocks the US decision by saying the Chilean F 16 squadron, without the missiles, would become the most expensive air