MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Hillary Clinton praises Argentina for its role in helping consolidate peace

H. Timerman with Hillary at the State Department

Argentine Foreign Affairs Minister Héctor Timerman and US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, met at the US Department of State Wednesday on what was the second and final day of the minister's diplomatic trip to Washington, DC

The US official lauded the role played by Argentina as mediator in the conflict raised between neighbour nations Colombia and Venezuela that ended up Tuesday with the restoration of the diplomatic ties after a meeting between Colombia's head of state Juan Manuel Santos, and Venezuelan president Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías.

The meeting was mediated by former Argentina president and current head of the South American Nations' Union (UNASUR) Néstor Carlos Kirchner and Brazilian president Lula da Silva.

Likewise, Clinton indicated that “Now, we all hope that the nice gesture showed by Santos and the prompt and positive reply of Chávez can be something that will go for a long run”.

Before meeting, the Argentine official had told reporters that the encounter was a ”good sign that shows how good and healthy the relation between the both countries is“. He also remarked that there are ”no conflicts between Argentina and the US.“

The minister was scheduled to meet later in the day with Gary Samore, Special Coordinator for president Obama and the White House, to discuss programs on weapons of mass destruction and terrorism control.

Timerman had met with the International Economic Affairs advisor for US President Barack Obama, Michael Forman, and the advisor for Latin American affairs, Dan Restrepo, on Tuesday.

”We talked mainly about Argentina and South America. I told Restrepo the important role that Argentina is playing as mediator between regional countries in order to resolve some late mounted tensions, and always advocating for peace and integration. I especially referred to the importance of the UNASUR body, which is led by Néstor Kirchner.“

Timerman also indicated that Tuesday’s meeting was a great opportunity to inform US officials ”how we handled the way-out from default, the debt-swap plan, the country's favourable conditions to welcome foreign investment, Argentina's growth forecasts, and the need of IMF reform”.