MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

US Puts Cold Cloth to Small Friction with Argentina

Lino Gutierrez, US Ambassador to Argentina, lowered the tone Thursday to a controversy caused by a US report alerting its citizens on the possible risks of traveling to Argentina.

The document warned US tourists going to Argentina to be extremely careful because of possible risks linked to crime, air insecurity, traffic and unemployed people movements.

The report, elaborated by the US Department of State, caused surprise and unease in the government of Argentinean President Nestor Kirchner, who ordered his Foreign Minister Rafael Bielsa to convoke Gutierrez.

Before he met the Argentinean Foreign Minister, Gutierrez told the press they were not "telling US tourists not to come to Argentina, but the other way around."

Gutierrez stated the topic of security here was not as serious as in many other countries, and that "problems reflected in the report on 194 nations worldwide, may occur in any city of the world."

Bielsa said Wednesday the interest of the meeting with Gutierrez was to clear up some things which are harmful for the image of Argentina, and the opinions of the US Department of State affect efforts made by Buenos Aires to generate greater tourist activity, and give an image of Argentina which is not the real image.

A spokesman from the San Martin Palace, venue of the Argentinean Foreign Affairs Ministry, said the US Ambassador had stated the meeting with Bielsa had not been reflected in the terms Bielsa told the local press, but he committed himself to transmit to the White House a document handed to him by Bielsa, with statistics on tourism and security in Argentina.