Stories for May 15th 2003

Thursday, May 15th 2003 - 21:00 UTC

Kirchner president and Menem appeals for unity.

For the first time ever a Patagonian born is Argentina's next president. Santa Cruz province governor Nestor Kirchner will be taking office May 25 after former president Carlos Menem finally explained in a national broadcast at prime time why he has stepping down from the May 18 run off, but certainly not abandoning politics.

Thursday, May 15th 2003 - 21:00 UTC

Opposition is born.

Promising a “constructive opposition”, Mr. Ricardo López Murphy who has emerged as the most important non Peronist figure in current Argentine politics, took advantage of the political vacuum created by Mr. Menem's long meditated decision to step down from the presidential run off and was extremely critical of the former president and caretaker president Eduardo Duhalde.

Thursday, May 15th 2003 - 21:00 UTC

Brazil welcomes Kirchner as Argentina's next president.

Brazil is pleased that Nestor Kirchner will be Argentina's next president and hopes that with him as leader, the two nations' bilateral “strategic alliance will advance considerably,” Foreign Minister Celso Amorim said here Thursday.