MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentine farmers lift strike, but no dialogue on sight

Leaders of the Argentine farmers' organizations confirmed Sunday evening the end of the third strike period in the three months conflict with the government, and anticipated they will attend the dialogue table summoned by the country's ombudsman for Monday.

Ernesto Mondino last week called on farmers and President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner administration to a round of dialogue Monday afternoon to address the stand off which is again threatening to cause food shortages and is having an impact on Argentina's economy as grain, oilseeds, beef and other farm produce trade and exports remain blocked. "I am not a mediator in this conflict, I am intervening as a constitutional authority" Mondino said adding that the parties "are obliged by the law to justify their decision regarding the summons". Several government officials expressed disappointment with Mr. Mondino's intervention and anticipated they will not be going. Camp leaders also said that a no dialogue situation means resumption of the strike. The conflict was triggered three months ago when the government hiked export levies on grains and oilseeds to almost 45%, but has since extended to include other demands and has rapidly become a political challenge for Mrs. Kirchner that has seen her public opinion standing plummet to 17%. In the three months several dialogue attempts have failed because the Kirchner administration has been all along contrary to reviewing the decision, playing on time hoping the farmers' front would crack and public opinion would turn against them. This however has not happened but the political and social implications of the struggle and with the rural economy virtually paralyzed, has alarmed other institutions, particularly the Catholic Church that has been calling for restraint, dialogue and yielding from both sides. But after three months of growing frustration some radical groups of farmers have warned they will continue on Monday with the pickets and road blocks, which has worsened since last week when grain truckers, --out of work for three monthsâ€"added their own road block to protest the situation. Furthermore President Cristina Kirchner finally admitted that there's no going back on the grain and oil seeds export hikes, while her husband Nestor Kirchner, chairman of the ruling party said he demands a public and official apology from farmers' organizations to the president. The Kirchners argue that export taxes help make booming prices of commodities affordable to Argentines plus helping to redistribute the windfall earnings from international prices. Mr. Kirchner also insists that the "pickets of abundance" as he calls the "greedy" farmers' protest are taking the food away from the average Argentine and are part of a major conspiracy to oust a freely elected government that is helping the millions of poor and needy. "There are sectors that are doing very well today that were doing badly years ago... the only thing we ask now is that they be empathetic and help out the sectors that aren't doing well yet," the former president said, referring to farmers as "the Lords of Abundance". "You have to understand that export duties help balance international and national prices, and we are set on defending the people of Argentina," Kirchner. Argentina is one of the world's main providers of soy, corn, beef and wheat, and rising farm exports â€" up 48.2% since 2003 â€" helped the country rebound from economic meltdown in 2002, driving five years of more than 8% annual growth. Exports stood to climb even higher this year, as international soybean prices jumped about 26% and corn prices about 34% between January and June. About 75% of Argentines agree that talks are needed, while 14.5% support continued protests, according to a May 25-26 poll by Ricardo Rouvier and Associates. The survey of 550 people in Greater Buenos Aires had a sampling error margin of 4 percentage points.