“Special Master” Daniel Pollack, the mediator appointed by US judge Griesa to resolve the dispute between Argentina and the speculative funds' holdouts said the parts talked “face to face” for the first time and assured a new meeting will be confirmed during the day. If a deal is not reached Wednesday sunset Argentina could again fall into default.
Argentina will sent a negotiation team to New York on Monday for further talks with a US court-appointed mediator Daniel Pollack in its debt dispute with holdout investors, Cabinet Chief Jorge Capitanich said earlier, with just two days left to avert a default.
Argentine President Cristina Fernandez will attend this Tuesday the leaders' summit of Mercosur in Caracas, Venezuela. The president will travel to Caracas in order to participate in a congress originally scheduled for December 17, but which suffered several postponements.
Argentina failed to reach a breakthrough with the U.S. court-appointed mediator in its battle with holdout creditors in New York on Friday in talks that lasted just an hour. The Argentine delegation is flying back to seek instructions from its government, mediator Daniel Pollack said, while the country's economy ministry underscored it would continue the dialogue with him over the next few days.
NML Capital Ltd, one of the lead holdout creditors in Argentina's sovereign bond dispute said on Thursday the Argentine government refused to negotiate through a mediator and was all but preparing to default on already restructured debt.
Daniel A. Pollack, the Special Master appointed by Judge Thomas P. Griesa to conduct and preside over settlement negotiations between Argentina and the holdouts from speculative funds said that Thursday's meeting had failed and announced a new audience for Friday at 10:00 in the morning in New York.
After failing to reach an agreement during Thursday's meeting with court-appointed mediator Daniel Pollack, Argentina reiterated that there could be no negotiations with speculative funds or 'vulture funds' until judge Thomas Griesa provides some insurance against possible liabilities related to the 'Rights upon Future Offers' (RUFO) clause.
In a defiant speech President Cristina Fernández reiterated on Wednesday that Argentina will not fall into default and warned that they will have to invent a new word to explain how a country has paid its debt and someone blocked it.
Following on Tuesday's audience with Judge Thomas Griesa, NML Capital the leading speculative fund litigating with Argentina, issued a release saying “it is willing to hold a meeting with 'Special Master' Daniel Pollack and Argentina to solve the dispute”.
US Judge Thomas Griesa rejected on Tuesday Argentina’s request for a suspension ('stay') on the ruling that ordered Buenos Aires to pay 1.3 billion dollars plus interests to holdout speculative funds and instructed Argentina and holdouts to meet on Wednesday morning for a first face-to-face meeting.