MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Direct flight from Argentina”, in the next year

Argentine Foreign Secretary Rafael Bielsa said he expects in the coming twelve months Great Britain will authorize a direct flight to the Falkland Islands, which will be achieved by generating “a climate of reciprocal trust”.

In an interview with La Nación Mr. Bielsa who is currently in Quito, Ecuador, said one of his main goals is to make Argentine foreign policy "predictable", "?and I would like to see flights from the (Argentine) continent to Malvinas", in the next twelve months.

Mr. Bielsa immediately added, "?we were very close (of achieving it), but it didn't work out. But I believe that with good will and a climate of reciprocal trust we're going to achieve it".

When asked if President Nestor Kirchner's hard, almost rude, style hadn't conditioned Argentina's foreign policy Mr. Bielsa argued this must be analyzed "case by case".

Regarding Britain, "they are displeased Argentina has adopted an attitude towards Malvinas which we believe is correct. It's not a matter of style but of interests, because (bilateral) relations couldn't be better except for the fact we have a historic difference and the strategy to emphasize this is different from previous policy".

As to "predictability", Mr. Bielsa said "I would like that when the world turns around to look for Argentina, they'll find her standing where they believe she is".

Mr. Bielsa anticipated that when the foreign debt problem is out of the multilateral agenda, Argentina's basic policies will become more dynamic and the country will introduce other issues such as becoming "a trusted partner not only commercially, but regarding principles, values, and the strengthening of human rights".

As to specific objectives of President Nestor Kirchner international policy, Mr. Bielsa mentioned trade agreements with the European Union and China (where Mr. Kirchner travels in the comings weeks), regional integration and building for Argentina a new form of regional leadership.

"The motherland with which I dream is a country with leadership in initiative, in creativity, and imagination". There are different leaderships, "in volume, Brazil; in concept, Chile. For Argentina I imagine a leadership in Nobel prizes: that's the Argentina we have to think about".

Mr. Bielsa reflected that "countries which are doing fine, where people live happily are not countries that make headlined every day; it's very hard to see headlines about New Zealand".

As to the great allies of Mr. Kirchner's administration, Mr. Bielsa described "recovery of a sense of power, command" as one of the main points. Speculation before last year's election was of Mr. Kirchner as a puppet of (then president Eduardo) Duhalde, and "it wouldn't have been possible to rule with out that feeling of authority".

The second great ally was the "vertiginous" (neck breaking) pace imposed to the administration, "it filled much space; there was no fear or shyness in making decisions".

Looking well into the future, Mr. Bielsa wishes to be remembered as a "good Foreign Affairs Minister" and some day, "when I die, some small street will be named Chancellor Bielsa".