MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Tricky coincidences of Mrs. Kirchner's overseas agenda

Mrs. Kirchner

The tricky coincidences of Argentine president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner diplomatic calendar agenda could again leave her exposed: next April 2nd, which marks the beginning of the Falkland Islands conflict in 1982, will have her in London for a top global economic summit hosted by British PM Gordon Brown.

On that day the G 20 group of emerging economies will be meeting with the leaders of industrialized countries, including US President Barack Obama, to address the global crisis, and presumably Mrs. Kirchner will be "forced" by calendar circumstances to bring up the issue of the Falklands/Malvinas claim with PM Brown, according to speculations in the Buenos Aires press. The issue is underlined following Mrs. Kirchner official visits this week to Cuba and Venezuela precisely when the inauguration of US president Barack Obama. Although the picture of her next to Cuban leader Fidel Castro was headline news and travelled the world, the whole overseas incursion was described as an "inconvenient event" at an "inconvenient moment", particularly when Argentina needs to improve relations with Washington. Argentine analysts also recall that a year ago when Mrs. Kirchner was about to take the plane for a meeting in London of progressive leaders, invited by PM Brown, she was forced to cancel the trip because of the conflict with striking farmers over export taxes on cereals and oil seeds. The announced purpose at the time was to bring up the Falklands/Malvinas issue and Argentina's sovereignty claim on the sidelines of the political meeting hosted by Labour leader Gordon Brown. This time, next April, maybe. Another objective of Mrs. Kirchner is President Barack Obama. According to the Argentine press contacts have already begun to request a meeting of the Argentine leader with the first Afro-American president who has confirmed his assistance to the global financial summit in London. The Kirchners administration idea is to leave behind recent uncomfortable events which irritated relations, particularly the case of the suitcase stashed with 800.000 US dollars and which was aired in a Miami federal court. The money allegedly from Venezuela and intercepted by Customs at Buenos Aires Ezeiza airport was allegedly intended to help then Cristina Fernandez's presidential campaign. Mrs. Kirchner was furious with the court case accusing the State Department of a "trash conspiracy" to discredit her. But her official visits to Cuba and Venezuela, not precisely the best of friends of any US administration have again opened a window of mistrust, because of the moment chosen for those events. The Kirchners administration insists it was all mere coincidence with no intentions particularly since the Argentine president seems so captivated by the personality of President Obama. But if London does not work out, Mrs. Kirchner is expected to have another chance for a private meeting when the Americas summit in Trinidad Tobago later in the same month of April since President Obama has confirmed his assistance.