MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Mrs. Kirchner calls on striking farmers; warns on global crisis

Another round of the unending conflict between CFK and farmers

Argentine president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner called striking farmers to dialogue warning that there's much uncertainty in the world because of the international financial crisis and it could affect the “Argentine model”.

Farmers began Friday a six-day agricultural goods trading strike to protest the lack of serious dialogue and advance in a long agenda of points which affect the sector and they insist have been neglected by an administration more intent in collecting taxes than addressing problems. The head of the Argentine Rural Confederation (CRA), Mario Llambías, responded by saying he would like "a President that acts with intelligence and not vindictiveness". Mrs. Kirchner urged farmers to "be careful with" the Argentine economic model "in a difficult world with much uncertainty" due to the international financial crisis, demanding that "we maintain our solidarity, our willingness to talk, our minds open, and we will continue working and thinking about how we can keep growing as we have done so far." She said that "you don't come out of a crisis fighting and being divisive, and thinking, 'if I survive then the rest don't matter,' but rather through thought, dialogue and collective work," because if not then the results could be "painful for everyone." Speaking at the inauguration of four new IBM company buildings in the Buenos Aires district of Martínez, the president, without openly naming them, directed her message to farming leaders who have returned to their strike, claiming that the Government is not responding to their demands. Meanwhile, Llambías recognized that the new strike "will not have the same effect on society as the other unfortunately did, bad in some cases and good in others, but what we will show is that farmers are mobilizing and prepared to continue with their call for rights." Speaking to Global Station radio, Llambías regretted that, throughout the months of conflict between farmers and Government House, "Argentina missed a great opportunity, not only to consolidate its agricultural production but also its geopolitical development." He again criticized Agricultural secretary Carlos Cheppi, reproaching him for "always" answering farmers' demands with "I am working on this issue." Llambías said, "(Cheppi) knows full well the agricultural policy in place and its problems; the truth is that consistently delaying solutions (...) is not the best solution." Meanwhile, the head of the Argentine Agrarian Federation (FAA), Eduardo Buzzi, called for Government action, denying that farming representatives had been called for dialogue with the Government. Speaking to around 100 farmers, Buzzi said, "With this international crisis that is affecting our country, the Government should think about an Agricultural Emergency Program, not just about altering hikes by one percent more or one percent less". Buzzi denied that anyone had been invited to talks with the Government to discuss agricultural policy, saying that Government House "looks at farmers with a view to making money, it does not solve problems." He said, "if they had invited us to dialogue, and we might have been able to make progress, we would not be on the roads now. At this time, as the sun comes out, people want to be sowing and working, not on the roads."