Argentina has implemented the largest number of protectionist measures worldwide, according to a Latin Business Chronicle analysis of Global Trade Alert data from the UK-based Centre for Economic Policy Research.
A letter from the Falkland Islands government inviting the Argentine government to enter into a dialogue and which was to be delivered directly to President Cristina Fernandez’ delegation during the Decolonization Committee debate was frustrated by the passivity of the C24 chair and by Foreign Minister Hector Timerman.
Argentine President Cristina Fernandez leaves Wednesday at 19.00 hours for New York where on Thursday afternoon she is scheduled to address the UN Decolonization Committee claiming sovereignty over the Falklands/Malvinas and other South Atlantic Islands as well as demand discussions with the UK over the future of those territories.
UK Foreign Office Minister Jeremy Browne turned down on Friday an invitation sent by Argentine Foreign Minister Héctor Timerman to visit Argentina. Timerman had hoped to meet with the UK government official in Buenos Aires when Browne makes his trip to the Falkland Islands next week.
The UK ratified on Tuesday the Falkland Islands people’s self determination following a resolution from the OAS general assembly taking place in Bolivia calling on the two sides (Argentina and UK) to resume dialogue on the sovereignty of the Islands which are claimed by Argentina.
Argentina’s Foreign Affairs minister Hector Timerman has a challenging and fragile mission in Bolivia: to obtain strong support from the OAS general assembly for Argentina’s claim over the Falklands/Malvinas’ sovereignty ahead of the UN decolonization meeting in New York which President Cristina Fernandez has promised to attend.
Argentina announced on Monday it had accepted the request from the European Union for a round of consultations, before the World Trade Organization, on the country’s controversial trade policies, but at the same time rejected all and every one of the questioned points and dragged the Falklands’ dispute into the fray.
The European Union filed a suit against Argentina's import restrictions with the World Trade Organization (WTO), European Union Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht announced on Friday.
In an offensive to counter recent attacks on Argentina’s restrictive trade policies, Foreign Minister Hector Timerman expressed at the World Trade Organization, WTO, his government’s concern with the current course of global negotiations which face the serious risk of abandoning the development goals agreed when the launching of the current Doha Round of negotiations back in 2001.
Uruguay called on Argentina to begin the price bidding process for the delayed dredging of a River Plate canal and revealed it was already monitoring the Uruguayan side of a joint commission responsible for deciding on the final contract and which has come under suspicion of corruption.