MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Ruckauf to visit Britain

Argentine Foreign Affairs Minister Carlos Ruckauf will be officially visiting Britain in the second week of October, but the Falklands/Malvinas issue is not included in the agenda, according to a press article published in Buenos Aires this week.

Last April Mr. Ruckauf visited all European countries belonging to the Group of Seven Industrialized countries, G 7, in the framework of an international image recovery tour for the incoming President Eduardo Duhalde administration, following Argentina's default in early January that virtually isolated the country from financial circles.

The article credited to Cecilia Boufflet points out that at the time given the coincidence of the twentieth anniversary of the Falklands conflict, Argentine diplomacy believed it was not an appropriate moment for the visit to London.

Mr. Ruckauf main purpose next October is to relaunch trade and financial links with United Kingdom, particularly to attract British interest in Argentine exports, which are now considerably accessible given the collapse of the Argentine currency.

However Mr. Ruckauf is quoted as saying that he's job will be "to make possible the impossible", that is to have the Falklands issue included, since "it's our duty to follow with the official policy of having the United Nations mandate honoured".