MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

‘Positive meeting’ of Cristina Fernandez with business, bank and union leaders

After the three hours meeting ‘everyone recognized the positive economic figures’

Leaders of some of Argentina's most important business groups praised the meeting held in Rio Gallegos with president Cristina Fernandez, where the head of state spoke with representatives of companies, banks and unions for more than three hours.

The meeting has been anticipated by the Argentine president as the first of a round of ‘political and social dialogue’ to assess the state of the Argentine economy following on the meagre results of the government’s Victory Front in the August 11 primaries, an anticipation of what could happen in the mid term elections of October when half the Lower House and a third of Senate seats will be renewed.

Héctor Méndez, leader of the Argentine Industrial Union (UIA), asserted on Wednesday that the opening of dialogue with the president was an important step. “It was a positive meeting, held in good spirits,” the businessman revealed to press on leaving the summit.

“A new chapter has been opened which deepens the responsibility all different sectors must assume” the construction union UOCRA chief Gerardo Martinez added in turn. The union leader stated that the meeting was “very important and very positive. Like everyone I am betting on talks and dialogue.”

Cristina Fernandez meanwhile, also highlighted the importance of talks with the sectors that had been critical of her administration, and pointed out that Argentina's growth was beyond discussion.

“I asked [those present] to tell me what they are really thinking,” the president explained on leaving the Patagonia hotel, the site of Wednesday's summit. “Everyone recognised the [positive] economic figures which indicate the economy keeps growing”.

Nevertheless the president said she was leaving with ‘a significant picture of the situation” and with the pledge to keep holding these kind of meetings and organizing sector rounds to discuss specific issues”.

However not everybody was satisfied. Farmers and trade union leaders questioned the president’s decision to exclude them from the dialogue at the Patagonia Hotel in Rio Gallegos.

“A dialogue with friends does not help too much. It must be done with the ones that think differently”, stated the powerful teamsters union leader Hugo Moyano, who later defined the encounter as “a parody”.

In addition, the head of the Argentine Agriculture Federation, Eduardo Buzzi expressed his disappointment for the “exclusion and prohibition” of his sector. “Argentina needs a wide social dialogue, attending the main concerns of the citizens which require an urgent solution”, said Buzzi.

Meanwhile, the president of the Rural Argentine Society, Luis Etchevehere, considered the meeting as “limp”, as result of the agriculture sector absence because of a no-invitation and total ignorance attitude. “For five years we are not dialoguing, and the farmer representatives are not being listened”, he concluded.