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Argentina rejects WTO members’ criticisms; confirms ‘sovereign trade policies’

Saturday, March 31st 2012 - 06:41 UTC
Full article 39 comments

The Argentine government ratified its trade policies before the World Trade Organization, following the criticism of Argentine trade restrictions from twelve countries, including the US, EU and Japan, and assured it will continue to decide on its trade policies in a sovereign manner. Read full article

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  • DJ56

    In other words, these hypocrites will carry on ignoring their international obligations when it so suits them.

    Mar 31st, 2012 - 07:15 am - Link - Report abuse 0
  • GreekYoghurt

    imminent ejection from G20 & WTO is imminent.

    Mar 31st, 2012 - 07:29 am - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Teaboy2

    I think the idiots misunderstood what was being said here “Also, according to the Foreign Ministry, the press release of the complaining countries states that “we are not aware of any official regulation that determines this trade balance or investment requirement.” In otherwords the WTO countries were saying they were not aware of any regulation that allowed for the trade practices being employed by argentina!

    Mar 31st, 2012 - 09:44 am - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Xect

    1 - I can only presume you are talking about Argentina since the UK has ignored no international obligations.

    And before you talk about the UN, don't make yourself look foolish by mentioning NON-BINDING resolutions which are optional and not a requirement and if that wasn't enough there are no current NON-BINDING resolutions regardless of the lies coming out of CFK's mouth.

    Not to mention negotiations can't happen given your own constitution forbids them.

    Mar 31st, 2012 - 10:43 am - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Pugol-H

    Argentina’s foreign trade is not a sovereign matter, it is one of bi/multilateral agreement.

    The complaint is about the effect of the regulations, based on the facts and figures! What ever Argentina says they are for, “it may be operating otherwise”

    Argentina was not forced to join the WTO and sign the agreements, but having done so, the world does expect Argentina keep to the rules like everyone else has to.

    The WTO cannot allow Argentina to change the rules it applies unilaterally. Not and remain in the organisation.

    Look at who supports this criticism, some way over half the world economy.

    The implications of this for Argentina are far more serious than just trying to re-right the history of the S Atlantic/Antarctica, and annoying London with spurious sovereignty claims.

    Approach the WTO with the same rabid nationalism as the Falklands issue, and it will get an economic response far more damaging to ordinary Argentineans, than a salvo of British cruise missiles fired at military establishments.

    Mar 31st, 2012 - 04:55 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Truth_Telling_Troll

    You have your answer Pugol. Rest of the world: f-off.

    Drop your subsidies which violate not WTO but human decency (dishonest cheaters), then we talk. No negotiations.

    Mar 31st, 2012 - 05:04 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Xect

    No negotiations? You have no choice unless you want to leave the WTO and suffer more damaging economic issues.

    Still a fool and his/her money are easily parted as they say.

    Mar 31st, 2012 - 05:44 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • GeoffWard2

    The WTO has not only regulations but also a set of conventions which are designed to facilitate trade, not deny trade.
    Argentina has a set of conventions which are designed to deny trade, not facilitate trade.

    The two are self-evidently, incompatible.

    Removal from the G20 and the WTO can be the only option for Argentina.
    North Korea, Libya, Somalia, etc suffered such removals and will be welcomed back into the fold in the fullness of time; Argentina need not be gone for ever.

    And remember, the Falklands is not a member of the WTO.

    Mar 31st, 2012 - 06:16 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Truth_Telling_Troll

    You can be Argentina does leave the WTO before 2014. And you can't do nothing about it.

    Mar 31st, 2012 - 06:18 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Xect

    The question would be why would anyone want to do anything about it?

    I don't think any of the countries will mind if Argentina leaves, it does nothing but cause problems anyway with its petulant behaviour.

    Mar 31st, 2012 - 06:30 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Truth_Telling_Troll

    Then why are all you so upset at everything Argentina does, outside of the Falklands sphere? What the heck is it for you what we do with Mercosur, WTO, the bond holders, or within our borders with books and the like? Don't get it, you say you don't mind but here you all are, crying to the moon about Argentina getting away with all this for so long.

    Mar 31st, 2012 - 06:33 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Xect

    I can't speak for anyone else but I'm not that bothered Tobias.

    However it is time Argentina was called out on its international shouting about everything to do with the UK & the Falkland's.

    However unlike Argentina's claims about militarisation and everything else, these complaints are real and not fabricated by some crazy dictatorship.

    Mar 31st, 2012 - 06:44 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Truth_Telling_Troll

    Argentina, even the government, says nothing about whatever the UK does outside the Falklands, because we don't care what you do in the world outside the Falklands. And many of us don't care what you do in the Falklands or your waters either.

    Of course, we do care what you do in our ports, and then you guys get all mighty pissed if we don't want your warships in our ports, for example. We can't even exercise sovereignty over our ports without the UK posters calling us all kinds of shiit. :)

    Notice I never protest when the issue is the Falklands and you guys are pissed. I would too, I understand. I only participate in topics where the Falklands is not an issue and you guys venture into railing in completely unrelated topics to the islands and Argentina's stubborness to let the islanders be left alone.

    Mar 31st, 2012 - 07:02 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Xect

    That's what happens Tobias when Argentina keeps being aggressive towards the UK & Falkland's. There is such a strong negative feeling towards Argentina (as has been displayed by many countries recently) that anyway to attack is fine for most.

    Argentina has created enemies of a lot of the international community lately.

    The Argentine government reaps what is sows.

    Mar 31st, 2012 - 07:21 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • GreekYoghurt

    @13 “Of course, we do care what you do in our ports, and then you guys get all mighty pissed if we don't want your warships in our ports, for example.”

    Tobias, I didn't know that you owned Peru, and as a consequence the Peruvian ports. It's kind of telling that your freudian slip just told us about your Le Camping expansionist policies of owning the territory of Peru, and I presume Chile and Paraguay while your black shirts march up there.

    If that's not a veiled threat I don't know what is, Nazi.

    Mar 31st, 2012 - 07:55 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • briton

    But as long as their new imaginary friends China, and Russia ,

    Did not oppose them, then that’s ok,
    We ll put it this way,
    If CFK is right, Argentina will benefit, and the WTO can get lost,

    But on the other hand, if CFK is wrong,
    The WTO can carry on laughing, and the argentine people will suffer,
    But make no mistake, it does not matter how deluded or stupid she is,
    [she is mega rich] that’s something her loyal bloggers should think about,
    For it is aways the people that suffer their incompetent governments logic.
    Is this not true,

    .

    Mar 31st, 2012 - 08:09 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Truth_Telling_Troll

    Way back when, Argentina banned ships to her ports and only her ports, from the Falklands.

    You guys still insulted us then. So Peru is irrelevant, you have proven you would get mad whether it was in all the world or only in Argentina. Which proves you don't respect our sovereignty.

    Mar 31st, 2012 - 08:15 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • GreekYoghurt

    @17 You said 'warships' and not 'ships'. A british warship only recently went to Peru, not Argentina. So you clearly weren't talking about Argentina. You could have only been talking about Peru, which apparently you think you own. So when is the invasion going to happen? Anywhere else in South America that you Argies think you own? Brazil?

    Tell us, Le Camping Gimp.

    Mar 31st, 2012 - 08:25 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Truth_Telling_Troll

    All British ships are warships. Not our fault you are like that.

    Mar 31st, 2012 - 08:35 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • GreekYoghurt

    @19 I'm more interested in why Le Camping has told you that you own Peru.

    Mar 31st, 2012 - 09:20 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • mat

    And the same must be do with the BRIC countries, China, Brazil etc, protectionists and cheaters! or get out of the G20!

    Mar 31st, 2012 - 11:12 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Truth_Telling_Troll

    Argentina is on the offensive tonight on ALL fronts, breaking news:

    Argentina formally accuses the US and EU of hypocrites and being the nations that most impede international trade in the world. Citing:

    “Among the 157 WTO members, the two countries in WTO accused of breaching the rules and formally accused by other members of impeding trade are the United States with 114, and the European Union with 70. Argentina only has 17 complaints against it. They are the real responsibles for restricting world trade, to protect their declining share of the pie.

    Argentina will neither allow nor tolerate any internal or external influences to alter our trade practices which seem to have the goal of making Argentina the backdoor plan for the industrial sectors of developed nations who have been in crisis since 2008. Argentina will retaliate in kind if it is required”.

    http://www.lanacion.com.ar/1461356-argentina-evalua-frenar-el-ingreso-de-autos-mexicanos

    In another front, Argentina just announced it's considering blocking Mexican auto imports, unless the Mexicans regenotiate the 2002 auto treaty. Since Argentina has a 1.5 billion dollar deficit with Mexico in this area, “it would be in their best interest to comply”. Argentina said it would not pursue this if Mexico drops their WTO complaint.

    Argentina has also warmed Mercosur members that the restrictions of Paraguayan, Uruguayan, and Brazilian products is internal Argentine policy. It also announced to Chile to prepare for losing natural gas from Argentina because of demand inside the country.

    http://www.lanacion.com.ar/1461356-argentina-evalua-frenar-el-ingreso-de-autos-mexicanos

    Argentina also will intimate the governments of Israel, Switzerland, Panama, and Costa Rica to explain their posture to Cristina Fernandez. It also announced it will not reconsider blocks on Chinese goods despite their protest

    http://www.lanacion.com.ar/1461356-argentina-evalua-frenar-el-ingreso-de-autos-mexicanos

    Apr 01st, 2012 - 03:40 am - Link - Report abuse 0
  • GreekYoghurt

    @22 That's hardly on the offensive. That's called being royally kicked into a corner and lashing out like a stray cat.

    Apr 01st, 2012 - 06:05 am - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Xect

    So by going on the offensive you actually mean Argentina committing economic suicide for the umpteenth time.

    Really Tobias, you need to remove that woman from power before your nation suffers terrible financial hardship yet again with these bizarre economic and international policies that seemingly only make sense to CFK.

    Apr 01st, 2012 - 09:43 am - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Truth_Telling_Troll

    Winning

    Apr 01st, 2012 - 12:59 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Pugol-H

    There is a serious problem in the WTO with agricultural subsidies in the West, particularly in N America and Europe. However they won’t move on this until they see concessions from the developing countries, particularly the brics, about access to their markets for goods and services.

    In Europe the British have been opposing agricultural subsidies for decades now. Margaret Thatcher famously argued for, and got, an annual rebate for Britain, for the part of it contributions to the EU budget that would have gone to pay agricultural subsidies. That rebate is still paid to this day. The more money Europe spends on agricultural subsidies, the more money Britain gets back.

    You can imagine how popular this arrangement is with the French, Belgians, Italians, and a few others.

    The dispute (and we can now officially call it that) between Argentina and the WTO, is not about the subsidies, or even the terms of trade, it is about Argentina breaking agreements it freely signed up to.

    Added to this Argentina has the same dispute with its mercosur partners, the US wanting debts paid (and are not taking no for an answer), falling gas and oil production ect, ect, ect.

    Warmongering S. Atlantic Pirates, would seem to be the least of CFK’s problems right now.

    @ 25 Truth_Telling_Troll

    Fix bayonets, and when you here the whistle, climb the ladder and go over the top, walk don’t run.

    Even a pyrrhic victory is too much to hope for here, remember what happened to Paraguay when it tried to taken on some of S. America, never mind most of the rest of the world.

    Apr 01st, 2012 - 01:13 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Truth_Telling_Troll

    Well, Paraguay wasn't exactly Argentina back then. We take the entirety of the world because it has been forced upon us. For the fifth time in the last 100 years, the world wants to bring Argentina down and prevent it from becoming fully developed (first through the 1890s debt crunch, then with the Marshall Plan and Europe blocking ALL argentine farming goods, then through the nationalization of private debt by the military junta encouraged bt the west, then throgh the IMF crisis, now this). But this time we are fighting, and we can hit back.

    The world only cares to destroy Argentina, but if we go down, we are taking as many as we can with us. :)

    Apr 01st, 2012 - 01:26 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Xect

    Tobias, thats a little naughty to suggest the world is trying to bring Argentina down.

    It's really not like that.

    Argentina is in economic collapse and is seeking to do everything it can to slow it down. The WTO/IMF and all of the other bodies complaining about Argentina are doing so because Argentina has chosen to violate agreements. So all of this being caused by Argentina's policy and not by the world picking on Argentina.

    I do actually sympathies with Argentina, it has a choice it can either slow down the inevitable collapse or carry on trading in the way it promised to do so. However and rather ironically its policies to slow down the economic collapse look like they will accelerate it as it going to be punished for violating its international treaties once more.

    Here's a genuine question for you, do you feel shame for your country once more violating agreements and lying to the international community?

    Apr 01st, 2012 - 01:54 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Truth_Telling_Troll

    No. And I will not until the rest of the world admits their countries cheat and put all kinds of subsides and barriers to trade and no one takes them to task.

    Remember the last two times Argentina “collapsed”.

    2001 IMF led world conspiracy: it took the southern cone with it (Brazil and Chile went into recession, Chile for the first time in 12 years, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay went into massive depressions, Peru lost a massive remittence dollar inflow), and Ecuador and Venezuela in currency contagion. Kirchner came to power.

    1980-1982 nationalization of private debt: almost 300 british men died needlessly, Argentina almost (if not did) build nukes causing Brazil to go bankrupt in a nuke race with us and creating the Brady Bond crisis all over Latin America: within 3 years all of the nations of Latin America had defaulted due to the contagion.

    I think that is why the world is not far more indulgent, for all the bluster that Argentina does not matter, the last two times it went down it caused the world a lot of headache, heartache, cost billions, and even hundreds of lives.

    Apr 01st, 2012 - 02:05 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • GreekYoghurt

    Le Camping Rule 10.2.33 “Blame other people for Argentina's failings.”
    Le Camping Rule 2.3.47 “There is a world conspiracy against Argentina. Talk about it a lot.”

    Apr 01st, 2012 - 03:16 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Xect

    I don't doubt Argentina going down will not cause massive problems in the region.

    Argentina is a big fish in a small pond in SA.

    Believe it or not, I do not want Argentina to fail as the misery it will cause to the good, honest and decent people of Argentina will be painful to watch.

    I do however think you are trying to circumvent Argentina's actions by blaming other trade subsidies that have been in place for a long time. This isn't a level playing field and even with some of the subsidies Argentina as a developing economy should still be far cheaper than the developed economies of the west so blaming Argentina's protectionism on farming subsidies isn't really a cohesive argument.

    I'd love to see Argentina gain a progressive and democratic government that seek peace with its SA neighbours and also work with the people of the Falkland Islands.

    What I do not want to see is either Britain pummel the Argentine forces into dust or for the Argentine economy to fail and the later is in its final stages.

    We don't need anymore wars, either politically, economically or militarily, so I hope someone can provide CFK with some sense because at least one if not several are about to happen.

    Apr 01st, 2012 - 03:21 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Truth_Telling_Troll

    The only way the British could pummel Argentine forced to dust would be if there was a new Falkland's war, which is exceedingly unlikely if not impossible. The only other possibility would be Britain launching an invasion of Argentina which Britain does not have the capability of doing, much less occupying.

    The Falklands are safe, so the rest here is unimportant to the UK. We will put the barriers needed to counter subsidies. We don't do subsidies so this is our way.

    Apr 01st, 2012 - 03:30 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Xect

    I support Argentina's decision to manage its own economy, its just a fact Argentina will need to leave these groups to do so.

    By signing into these groups countries have the chance to increase trade and ensure trade is followed in a open and specific way but the obvious downside is they have to relinquish some of the control they have in their trading rules/standards.

    So Argentina is free to leave should it wish to follow its own agenda.

    Apr 01st, 2012 - 03:41 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Truth_Telling_Troll

    I have no doubt we may leave the WTO.

    Remember what happened when Argentina told the IMF to leave and paid them off? Everyonre was warning that it would be a disaster for the economy that it would isolate Argentina (this was in 2004)... Nothing happened. Everyone continued trading with us.

    Same with the World Bank pay-off... oh no, Argentina needs to keep borrowing from the World Bank or it will be disaster.

    Nothing happened.

    I have no doubt that now the same is the case. In Spanish the saying is “Por dinero baila el mono” (Even monkeys will dance for money). Whether Argentina is in WTO or not, the rest of the world will not simply stop trading with us because all they care about is money.

    Apr 01st, 2012 - 03:48 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • GreekYoghurt

    @34 There is a Spanish saying “sólo la gente pobre habla español”

    You need stop blaming everyone else for the economic disaster that is Argentina. I know you're programmed to do this by La Campora, but it's not believable.

    Apr 01st, 2012 - 07:37 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Truth_Telling_Troll

    Mendoza is no economic disaster, sorry. 3.7% unemployment. Anywhere in the UK under 10%?

    Apr 01st, 2012 - 10:31 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • briton

    Argentina is on the offensive tonight on ALL fronts, breaking news

    and all she will do is talk.
    most decent argentinians will just ignore her rantings,
    and her indovrinated bloggers will pray for their beloved queen,
    and the world will just laugh.

    Apr 01st, 2012 - 10:38 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Pirat-Hunter

    I think people should pay more attention at International laws and human rights, there is something called rights to self determination. Witch british have being using to theft land and resources from Argentina, I love Argentine politicians who can manage to play the game on behalf of all Argentines, I don't remember the WTO helping me keep my 4th box of Cuban cigars or protecting me from paying Canada over 25% for bringing in rum. I guess the WTO has a contract to only help big businesses. I also think that a close door policy will make them pay us to open the door. And the WTO can go complain to the visa department, a few weeks ago an Arab was deported from canada back to his country for not disclosing his net worth rather then disclosing his caring purse, possible reason tax evasion, witch brings us back to WTO and their bias attitudes, last time I heard british pirates are still thieving from Argentina and there are others in Libya, Egypt and Syria selling weapons to terrorists. Please focus on the real problems and let others live in pease go home.

    Apr 02nd, 2012 - 03:45 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • briton

    38 Pirat-Hunter
    go catcha shark .

    Apr 02nd, 2012 - 04:29 pm - Link - Report abuse 0

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