MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentine president sends farmers' tax bill to Congress

Argentine President Cristina Fernandez moved on Tuesday to defuse a prolonged political conflict asking Congress to ratify a sliding export tax hike on grains and oilseeds which has been at the heart of 100 days stand off with farmers.

Meantime former president Nestor Kirchner is organizing for this Wednesday a massive political rally in support of her wife's dwindling support. Farm leaders said the president's bill was a positive gesture and they would evaluate it on Wednesday and decide whether to lift their blockade of grains exports. Farmer and trucker roadblocks have caused growing fuel and food shortages. Mrs. Kirchner argues the tax increase adopted in March will redistribute windfall profit and alleviate poverty, but enraged farmers have frozen grains trade with their protests and the conflict has sparked wider anti-government demonstrations. "Those citizens who are against these policies, because they believe their interests are affected, can go to the courts" the Argentine president said on live national television. Farm leaders applauded the decision to involve Congress, even though Mrs. Kirchner's ruling coalition has a clear majority: 131 out of 257 members in the Lower House and 41 out of 72 Senators. "We hope Congress won't just rubber stamp this like a notary... We hope the bill can be debated, modified and adapted so it doesn't benefit just big producers, but also small and medium producers" Eduardo Buzzi, president of one of Argentina's four main agricultural groups, said at a news conference with other farm leaders. Just two hours before Fernandez spoke, her husband, ex-President Nestor Kirchner and chairman of the ruling Justicialista party held a rare press conference promising to defend "to the end" the current sliding export tax on grains and oilseeds. "We're going to defend (it) with all our force" said Kirchner. "You know what's at stake here? We are defending food prices for Argentines". The government argues that export levies besides revenue help keep food prices accessible to the average Argentine. But Kirchner also slammed the farmers for their continued lockout which is damaging the economy and responds to greedy sector interests, contrary "to democracy and living in democracy". The camp is involved in a "simple and plain extortion against a freely elected government". He also attacked the press, particularly the Buenos Aires newspapers, Clarin and La Nacion for what he described as systematic efforts to weaken the government and ignore the fact that Mrs. Cristina Kirchner was elected with 45% of the vote. He also mentioned that some Argentine media owners are "big land owners" and others are concerned "with legislation that will put an end to their privileges and benefits". Meantime one public opinion poll released on Tuesday showed the president's popularity was below 20% and her negative standing soared to 51%. This happens when the positive image of Alfredo De Angeli's an entirely unknown farm leader 90 days ago but now a reference of the conflict, has reached 49.9%. Hoping to show the government still has widespread support Mr. Kirchner is planning a massive rally for her wife on Wednesday in downtown Buenos Aires, even though some political governors and mayors have suggested it would only deepen the conflict. "We're calling on all Argentines for tomorrow's rally to defend the democratic system, democratic governance, so we can all live in peace in spite of differences, in support of plurality of ideas", emphasised Kirchner who during the press conference was surrounded by ministers and an only governor from the province of Buenos Aires. Originally the idea was that all governors, Congress members and metropolitan mayors would also participate of the announcement of Wednesday's act. Finally he complained that the "abundance" (farmers) pickets get a full positive coverage in the media but when pickets are organized by the "needy, homeless, jobless", they are described as a "provocation" and "hooliganism". "Let's hope a new right wing conservative party is born, not this old aging destabilizing coup monger organization which insists in conspiring against elected governments".