MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

U.S. reacts ironically to Timmerman’s advise on contacts with the Argentine press

The Argentine Foreign Affairs minister trying to silence the press on the aircraft incident

Unite States officials said they would continue to claim the US Air Force aircraft cargo seized in Argentina and rejected point blank pressures on embassy officials from Argentina’s Foreign Affairs minister Hector Timerman to abstain from comments on the issue with the Argentine press.

“I’m always going to answer your questions, or is Mr Foreign Affairs minister Timmerman going to advise me what I should do or say”, Philip Cowley US State Department spokesperson said ironically during the daily press conference in Washington.

Earlier in the week Buenos Aires US Embassy chargé d’affairs Jefferson Brown was told by Timmerman that US officials must not comment on the aircraft incident with the Argentine press.

“The solution to the conflict is in the hands of Argentina”, added Crowley, “we simply don’t know what else to tell” Argentine authorities. Instead of trying to silence the press “what should be done is exactly the opposite: continue with the questions until this surprising and out of the ordinary situation with Argentina is over”.

Crowley was basically responding to Argentine correspondents interested in knowing the US position following Timmerman’s contacts with the US embassy in Buenos Aires. The US State Department during the press conference in reference to other situations in the world described freedom of the press as “a human right and a fundamental value for democracy”.

The conflict has been stalled since mid February when a US Air Force Globemaster with personnel and equipment to help train the Argentine Federal Police, following on a bilateral agreement was retained and the material on board seized.

The ‘confiscation’ operation was personally headed by Minister Timmerman who claimed Argentine officials had detected “material that had gone undeclared”. The US admitted there was non declared medical equipment and materials on board. Previously Timmerman had claimed to the Argentine press that staff and equipment were meant “for training police forces how to torture”.

The US is demanding a return of the material which is ‘US property’ plus an explanation about the whole incident and the Argentine government wants a “satisfactory explanation” regarding the aircraft cargo and an “official apology”.

As a consequence the equipment remains confiscated, the training course was cancelled and following the exchange of several diplomatic notes, Timmerman escalated the situation by pressing officials in the US Embassy in Buenos Aires to abstain from talking about the issue with the Argentine press.

“We’re perplexed with the whole incident but we remain open to an understanding and continue in contact with the Argentine government”, said Crowley. However “the solution is in the hands of Argentina and our stuff must be returned”.