MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Strong Argentine reactions to US criticisms

Burns unhappy with Argentina

Argentina reacted strongly to United States criticisms for having allowed Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez to hold a political rally in Buenos Aires while George Bush was on a tour of the region early March.

"With United States we have a mature relation and this allegedly means respecting our individualities, our individual decisions and not interfering in those decisions which precisely have nothing to do with those links", said Argentine cabinet chief Alberto Fernandez in Buenos Aires. "Argentina has been flexible with President Chavez who decided to organize a political rally in Argentina with followers who support him and this should not be motive of opinion for any US official or from any other country which has correct relations with Argentina" insisted Fernandez who is usually the spokesperson for President Nestor Kirchner. On Thursday Nicholas Burns, number three in the State Department during a conference at the Americas Council to assess President Bush's recent visit of several Latinamerican countries said the US government regretted that the protest "was organized on the same day our President was in Montevideo". Sitting on the first line was Argentine Ambassador in the US Octavio Bordón. "I'm sorry to tell you but that's the feeling in our administration", added Burns apparently looking straight into the eyes of ambassador Bordon, probably the first official US comments about Venezuela's Chavez "counter tour" in coincidence with Bush's visit to the region. Argentine Foreign Affairs minister Jorge Taiana from Ecuador considered the remarks "surprising and unacceptable" from a political and diplomatic point of view, since "it was a popular rally planned by grass root organizations and a South American president". Taiana added that Chavez' rally was "further evidence that the right to free speech in Argentina is ample and proper to any democratic country". "Argentina is a sovereign country and makes decisions per se", added Fernandez who ridiculed Burns argument by recalling that Chavez organized a political rally in Harlem, New York City, United States, "did you listen to me; in Harlem he organized a rally". From Caracas President Chavez also joined the chorus saying the same argument could be applied the other way, "I regret that Bush's visit took place the same day we were in Buenos Aires".