Uruguayan president and oncologist Tabare Vazquez has publicly admitted full responsibility for not having read, but approvingly signed, delicate documents referred to alleged crimes against humanity committed during the military dictatorship, and consequently, without consultation, he sacked the Defense minister and deputy, and seven generals.
The Uruguayan government considers the British occupation of the Malvinas Islands as a 'latent threat' according to a work-paper with basic points of the country's defense policy and which is to be made public this week, some excerpts of which were advanced by the pro-government daily La Republica.
Uruguay's Deputy Defense minister Jorge Menéndez reaffirmed that the Malvinas Islands are 'Argentine' and insisted that the government's support in defense of Argentine sovereignty over the Islands is not of an expository character.
A preparatory meeting for a Ministers of Defence of the Americas Conference to be held in the second half of the year concluded in Montevideo with no inclusion of the Malvinas Islands dispute in the final declaration because of lack of agreement among the participants.