Argentina Propaganda - Falkland Islands: “British sovereignty over the Islands as such, is not accepted by the European Parliament”

“British sovereignty over the Malvinas Islands as such is not accepted by the European Parliament”, according to a visiting delegation of EU lawmakers who met with their Argentine peers in Buenos Aires.

The Falklands issue was brought up by Senator Daniel Filmus, head of the Foreign Affairs committee in the framework of a meeting with a delegation from the EU Commission for relations with Mercosur countries, headed by MEP Luis Yañez Barnuevo from Spain.

Senator Filmus as part of the talks on the stalled Mercosur/EU cooperation and trade agreement suggested to his peers that an additional effort to help Argentina establish a bilateral dialogue with the UK on the Malvinas issue would be very positive for the whole range of issues.

“To advance in the strengthening of the accords it would be beneficial if the EU would commit itself to help so that the UK sits at a table to dialogue bilaterally on the Malvinas question” said Filmus.

He added that the diplomatic path “is the only path we conceive and we stress this position in support of dialogue in all the international forums we participate”.

Senator Filmus claimed that the UK is taking advantage of the dispute to ‘militarize’ the South Atlantic and to extract natural resources that belong to the region.

“There is a growing consensus related to this issue and it’s that both sides must sit to discuss it. Militarization and extracting natural resources has implications not only for territorial sovereignty and integration but also economic for our region”, underlined Senator Filmus.

It was then that MEP Yañez Barnuevo and head of the EU delegation ratified that for the European Parliament “British sovereignty over the (Malvinas) Islands as such, is not accepted”.

However the MEP and his colleagues, Jean Pierre Audy, Josefa Andres Barea y Mario Pirillo asked about the seizure last year of YPF from Spain’s Repsol.

Senator Sonia Escudero said that the reasons to advance over 51% of YPF shares “was directly related to the fact that production and reserves of oil and gas under the Spanish administration had collapsed over 40%, while 100% profits were distributed and debts had also ballooned”.

“This caused serious energy provision difficulties for Argentina, and thus the decision”, added Senator Escudero.

Finally the Argentine lawmakers called for a recovery of the favourable climate that has always signalled relations with the EU, although expressing some apprehensions.

“We observe certain aggressiveness from the EU and some of its member states against Argentina, following the decision to nationalize YPF, which is contrary to the historical links and friendship between the two regions”, admitted Senator Escudero.

ARA Libertad is in the high seas; great reception in Mar del Plata on 9 January

The Argentine Navy flagship ARA Libertad set sail for Mar del Plata on Wednesday four days after a UN court ordered its release from the Tema port in Accra, Ghana, following a 77 day embargo (since 2 October) due to a claim by vulture fund NML Capital.

The tall ship with all its sails displayed and a huge Argentine flag left Ghana on Wednesday  

Sailors boarding ARA Libertad, frigate is expected to arrive in Mar del Plata on January 9th.  

A group of 98 Argentine sailors arrived earlier in the day in Ghana to complete the crew of 44 who remained under the orders of the captain and will oversee the training frigate’s return. In the midst of the conflict 281 sailors returned to Buenos Aires.

A spokesman of the Ghanaian port authority confirmed that the ARA Libertad was refuelled prior to its voyage. The navy vessel is expected to arrive in Mar del Plata on January 9th, President Cristina Fernández announced on Tuesday. A great reception is planned for the arrival.

On Saturday, the International Court of the Law of the Sea ordered Ghana to release Libertad, which was seized by orders of a court that accepted the claims of hedge fund NML Capital.

The twenty Justices from the Court of the Law of the Sea in Hamburg, including a former Ghana Judge, voted unanimously that war ships are immune to impounds based on the Law of the Sea and the Vienna convention.

A Ghanaian delegation including military personnel was at the port to see the frigate off. Tema Port Authority Lawrence Atumbine said that earlier on Wednesday the country’s Supreme Court had signed a resolution which invalidated the commercial court that supported the injunction.

“Now the frigate Libertad has become the symbol of sovereignty and national dignity against those who want to bully or run over Argentina”, said President Cristina Fernandez.

NML and other investment funds did not accept the restructuring of Argentine defaulted bonds in 2005 or 2010 and are demanding full payment of capital and interest. These funds or ‘vulture funds’ as Argentines call them are part of the 7% that did not accept Argentine restructuring terms, while 93% did accept the new bonds.

In the case of ARA Libertad the funds were demanding payment equivalent to 370 million dollars, capital plus interests.

“Madame President: pleas eaddress inflation and rampant crime” demands Argentine organized labour

Argentine dissident organized labour concentrated at the emblematic Plaza de Mayo and claimed the government of Cristina Fernandez was applying IMF recipes by halting wage hikes for workers and called on the Lady to address inflation and rampant crime.

 “This is no other than what the International Monetary Fund instructed Argentina at the time. This is an undercover austerity measure. When the IMF outlines the policies of those countries that subordinate themselves, the first thing it does is freeze salaries. And the Government has frozen and even reduced salaries” said organized labour CGT leader Hugo Moyano at the Wednesday rally next to Pablo Micheli from another once rival labour organization.

The two leaders, Moyano and Micheli walked down the centre of Buenos Aires followed by numerous columns of followers with flags and banners, and converged from different directions on to Plaza de Mayo. Small farmers associations adhered to the rally as so did some opposition political parties among which the most outstanding the Radicales.

An estimated 100.000 people marched and finally converged on Plaza de Mayo.

Regarding the 2013 midterm elections, Moyano said that ”we will have this fundamental tool of democracy, and us workers will vote for those who guarantee our rights. We can’t be wrong again! Don’t come to us with fantasies of an unfinished revolution”.

In 2011 President Cristina Fernandez was re-elected with a record 54% support and thirty points ahead of the runner-up.

Moyano then called on President Cristina Fernández to address inflation and crime rates. “Madame President, please address inflation and security which are the main concern of all Argentines”.

The demands by the high-profile labour union groups included wages, family pay packets, inflation, income tax rates and the owed state debt to the unions’ health insurance companies.

Miceli underlined the union of organized labour: “we started with a concrete action plan along different paths but now we are showing that things can be done together”.

“This rally is not against any government but in self defence and they are not going to have us out of the streets until dialogue is established”, added Miceli who insisted in claiming better salaries and a more fair taxing system.

The two labour leaders also called for an independent Justice. “We have a most respectful Supreme Court and this government wants to tread on it. The Court must annul the terrorist bill which is a threat for civil liberties and for unions’ rights”, said Miceli.

Likewise Moyano demanded that the government respects the court cases favouring old pensioners, who “have been denied justice by the government and like to dress up as the defenders of human rights, what an irony!”
 

Argentina - Temporary relief for Clarin Group; case delayed for another two months

Argentine media group Clarin SA was granted temporary relief on Tuesday from the government's effort to implement a media law that would force the conglomerate to sell some of its most profitable assets. 

 

Earlier Tuesday, it was announced that Federal Judge Horacio Alfonso accepted Clarin's request to appeal a ruling he made Friday that required the company to immediately comply with the law.

In his ruling, Judge Alfonso had also ordered an immediate end to an injunction protecting Clarin from the law's enforcement until courts have decided whether the law is constitutional. But by granting Clarin's appeal and sending the case to an appeals court, Judge Alfonso effectively suspended his own ruling, once again shielding Clarin from the law.

The development comes a day after Martin Sabbatella, head of a government media regulatory agency, notified Clarin that the government had begun the process of auctioning off some of Clarin's assets such as its cable-TV unit. Mr. Sabbatella said the process would last around 100 business days.

Legal experts say the appellate ruling may not come until February or March. Even then, the case will likely be appealed again by the losing side to the Supreme Court.

Only after the Supreme Court has ruled on the law's constitutionality will it be clear if and when Clarin has to comply with the law.

The dispute is part of an escalating battle between Clarin and Argentine President Cristina Fernandez who is trying to enforce a controversial three-year-old media law.

Cristina Fernandez says the law aims to create more competition in the media marketplace. In contrast, Clarin and many analysts say the government wants to muzzle the outspoken broadcaster and diminish the influence of critical press, which it claims wants to see her removed from office.

Argentine frigate expected back in Buenos Aires early January

“Once more we fulfill our promise, the Frigate is coming back,” was the first statement given by President Cristina Fernández over the ruling of the UN's International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea to release the ARA Libertad frigate. 

 Cristina Fernandez, ‘once more we comply’  

Cristina Fernandez chose Twitter to speak about the ruling that ordered the release of the impounded frigate from the Tema port in Ghana and anticipated that on Tuesday a crew travels to Ghana to bring back the Argentine navy flagship.

“Not so long ago I said that, as long as I'm the President, no vulture fund will stay with our country's sovereignty and dignity,” was the first tweet of CFK.

The Argentine president summarized the Court's decision to release the vessel and reminded that by December 22 it must have left the port.

Besides, she highlighted that the release includes the commander, the crew and the reconditioning of the vessel, and added that the country “must not offer a bail or guarantee.”

The President also detailed that the crew that currently are in Argentina will travel on Tuesday to Ghana “to bring our Libertad frigate back to our homeland.”

The vessel is expected to be back in Argentina by 9 January after a trip of 74 days, according to Defence minister Arturo Puricelli.
 

Argentina admits Libertad is the 29th asset impound case by ‘vulture’ funds

Argentina finally admitted that the retaining of the training frigate ARA Libertad in Ghana is not an isolated case since the so called ‘vulture’ funds have managed to impound a total of 28 assets including the presidential aircraft Tango 01, bank accounts, property and even a satellite.

Minister Timerman pledging Argentina will recover the frigate, “as we recovered the other 28 assets” 

These 28 assets belonging to the Argentine State have been impounded by the vulture funds which refused to join the swap of defaulted sovereign bonds during the presidencies of Nestor and Cristina Kirchner, admitted Foreign minister Hector Timerman speaking at Government House, Casa Rosada,

“Until the case of the frigate ARA Libertad, the vulture funds managed to impound 28 assets from the Argentine state”, said Timerman, but in all those cases Argentina managed to recover the disputed assets.

Timerman also announced that the government has decided to litigate in international courts the release of the frigate retained in the port of Tema. Three options are under consideration according to diplomatic sources: the Law of the Sea international tribunal; the International Court of Justice in The Hague or arbitration.

After reading the list of impounded assets (and recovered), Timerman pledged that “we are going to recover ARA Libertad as we recovered all of the other government assets”.

The impounded assets also included the SACD/Aquarius satellite jointly developed by Argentina with NASA and orbiting since last year and patents from scientific research centres involving atomic energy plus agriculture and industrial technology. However all cases, tangible or non tangible, referred to assets in the US or in Europe.

Timerman’s announcement comes after the failed political attempt in Ghana when top officials from the Foreign and Defence ministries were sent to Accra and later with his own non performing lobbying at the United Nations.

Ghana port authorities want ARA Libertad moved to anchorage; Argentina refuses

Ghanaian officials asked a judge Thursday to order the Argentine navy ship detained in the West African nation over a debt dispute to be moved because it was blocking valuable space at the port of Tema.

Ghana's port authority appeared in Accra's commercial court following an October 19 filing asking for the ARA Libertad to be moved to an anchorage, saying the three-masted tall ship was harming commercial activity.

 Tema is Ghana's largest port and sees major traffic from commercial vessels.

“There is congestion at the port and commercial activities are virtually coming to a standstill,” a lawyer for the authority, Asare Darko was quoted by the local media.

“The situation is getting more and more chaotic. You can't put a military vessel in the midst of commercial vessels. As at yesterday, we could count about 20 vessels waiting to berth.”

A lawyer representing Argentina's government, Kizito Beyuo, told the court Buenos Aires would oppose the request and asked for an adjournment until November 1, which was granted.

NML Capital Limited, whose court claims led to the detention of the ship, will not oppose the request to move the frigate to anchorage, according to its lawyer Ace Ankomah.

More than 280 sailors -- most of them Argentines -- who had been stuck in Ghana for more than three weeks since the court detained their ship flew out aboard a chartered flight on Wednesday.

The group also included naval cadets from Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela.

Argentina was forced to organise the evacuation after an Accra court upheld an order secured by NML, a Cayman Islands investment firm, which said it is owed 370 million by Argentina.

NML, a subsidiary of New York-based Elliott Capital Management, bought Argentine bonds at a discount when the country's economy was in freefall in 2000. Buenos Aires later defaulted.

Argentina has rescheduled and refinanced much of its debt, but bonds held by speculative funds are among its unsettled business.

Argentine Farce - Argentine seamen are back in Buenos Aires; small group remains in Ghana

After three weeks retained in Ghana, members of the crew and cadets from the Argentine Navy training vessel ARA Libertad arrived past midnight Wednesday to Ezeiza airport in Buenos Aires where relatives and media were waiting.

Relatives and media received the stranded seamen.

The specially chartered Air France Boeing 777 left Ghana mid afternoon with 279 seamen, of which “a fraction are crew members of the training vessel plus all cadets from the Navy and Army schools and all national and international guests”, said a brief release from the Argentine Navy.

Stranded for three weeks because the vessel was impounded by NML Capital, which demands payment of Argentine sovereign bonds, the seamen left the port of Tema for the airport of Kokota in nine buses heavily escorted while 44 crewmembers and the captain remain for the maintenance of the flagship of the Argentine navy.

The Navy said that following medical check-up the cadets can join their families and must return by Monday November 5 to complete their training for the graduation ceremony scheduled 8 December.

The group flown back also includes naval cadets from Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela. Two of the Chileans (one of them was injured) out of a crew of 15, arrived in Santiago Wednesday midday. They were received by Defence minister Andres Allamand.

“We were always convinced we would sail; we kept waiting for the day to leave the port”, said the Chilean cadets who added that “people in Ghana are very friendly and were kind with us”.

Meantime the Argentine government continues with its diplomatic lobbying and legal battle with NML-Capital, a battle which so far it has been losing.

UN Security Council says ARA Libertad incident does not endanger world peace

Argentine Foreign minister Hector Timerman began Monday morning his round of contacts in New York to lobby for the release of the Navy’s training frigate retained in Ghana but suffered a first setback when he met with the president of the UN Security Council, Ambassador Gert Rosenthal.

 Guatemala Ambassador Gert Rosenthal, Security Council president (Photo UN)

“We had a very interesting discussion on the incident. I told the Foreign Minister that he and I know that the Security Council’s business is keeping world peace and security and this case does not precisely endanger world peace”, said Ambassador Rosenthal from Guatemala the rotating president of the Security Council.

However, “said this, if the incident involves complying with international law, it is an issue of great concern, not so much as for the Security council as for the country member of the UN. Clearly there is an international law problem which affects Argentina, but also the rest of the planet’s countries”

Previously Timerman had requested ambassador Rosenthal, as president of the Security Council “to circulate among its members documents brought by Argentina so that the Council is aware of the situation of ARA Libertad, which from an international law point of view is completely illegal”.

Later in the day Minister Timerman was scheduled to meet with Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and the president from the General Assembly, Vuk Jeremik. Timerman is making the contacts alongside Argentine Ambassador to the US Jorge Argüello, Deputy Foreign minister Eduardo Zuian and the recently nominated permanent representative to the UN, María Cristina Perceval.

From Buenos Aires President Cristina Fernandez’ Cabinet Chief Juan Manuel Abal Medina came on stage to warn that “vulture funds will never see Argentina kneeled down before their decisions”, in a straight message to US-based fund that has the Libertad navy training frigate impounded and retained in Ghana.

During an international seminar held at the University of Buenos Aires’ Economics School, the official told reporters that “President Cristina Fernández was already very clear about it when she said that we are not going to accept any blackmailing from vulture funds.”

The investment fund whose suit in Ghana was successful in detaining the ship, is NML Capital Limited, of Elliot Management, and alleges it is owed a total of 370 million dollars, for defaulted bonds from the 2001 crisis. These bonds remained unpaid after the bondholders rejected two bond-swaps offered by the government in 2005 and 2010.

Meanwhile the Foreign ministry also announced that most of the crew will be flown back to Buenos Aires in a chartered aircraft scheduled to arrive Wednesday night. The idea of sending an Argentine Air Force plane for the crew was discarded fearing the same fate as ARA Libertad. Apparently Chile and Brazil, who have cadets among the crew of the retained vessel, were prepared to fly the crew back home.

Most of ARA Libertad crew should be arriving at Buenos Aires late Wednesday

Argentina confirmed on Monday that most of the crew from the training frigate ARA Libertad retained in Ghana is being evacuated and should arrive in Buenos Aires Wednesday night, in a chartered commercial aircraft. Only a small group of officers and 44 crew members will remain on the impounded vessel for maintenance work.

The Argentine Foreign ministry communiqué said that “as it was announced on Saturday, it has been decided to evacuate 281 crew members leaving on board the frigate the captain and a group of 44 sailors to guarantee the caretaking during its illegal seizure. All foreigners on board participating of the instruction trip will also be evacuated in the same operation”

“The seamen will be arriving to Buenos Aires next Wednesday at 20:00 hours in a chartered flight of Air France which was especially contracted to complete the evacuation”.

Further on the communiqué states that the decision to evacuate was made “in response to a ruling by a Ghanaian court, which not only violated international law, but also risked the safety of the crew by denying them the necessary provisions for a docked ship.”

Finally all expenses that result from the illegal detention of the Libertad will be included in the lawsuit that Argentina will file before international organizations.

According to sources, the Ghanaian judge who ordered the impounding also decided to ban the ship from refuelling, assuring it would only lift his decision if Argentina was willing to establish negotiations with the plaintiffs who are holders of Argentine sovereign bonds valued at 370 million dollars and for which they demand full face value payment of principal and interests.

Argentina declared a massive default in 2002/02 of almost 95bn dollars. However between 2005 and 2010 it managed to restructure the debt with a significant shave, but 7% holdouts remain. Some of those bonds are in the hands of funds, which Argentina describes as ‘vulture funds’ and have the sufficient logistics and intelligence to try and recover the value of the bonds or assets, as happened with the impounding of ARA Libertad in an African port.

Last week the NML-Capital fund said it was willing to release the vessel if Argentina deposits a bail of 20 million dollars. In a touch of irony it also offered to pick up the bill for the return of the frigate’s crew to Argentina.

ARA Libertad: Argentine president pledges to never yield to ‘vulture’ funds

Argentine president Cristina Fernández in a national broadcast blasted ‘vulture funds’ retaining the impounded training frigate ARA Libertad in Ghana and pledged never to yield the dignity and sovereignty of the country to these funds.

 “The freedom, dignity and sovereignty of this country will not be retained by any vulture fund” said Cristina Fernandez

“As long as I'm the President, they might retain the Frigate, but the freedom, dignity and sovereignty of this country will not be retained by any vulture fund” said Cristina Fernandez on Monday during the nationwide broadcast from Government House.

The Argentine president questioned the vulture funds that initiated the conflict in Ghana, and said they ”believed they were going to put pressure on the country“ by applying this measure.

”What we went through these past days brings a lot of pain, and I say it as an Argentine citizen,“ the President assured over the conflict.

”I've seen some, luckily very few, who defended the vulture funds that had illegally retained our Libertad frigate in an African port, believing they were putting the pressure on us,“ she continued.

The head of state added ”we all have to be responsible in a country with 40 million Argentines if we want to be free and sovereign”.

Meantime in New York Foreign minister Hector Timerman met with UN top officials: the president of the Security Council, and UN Secretary General with whom it was agreed “to open talks with Ghana to exchange opinions on how to best resolve the conflict between Argentina and Ghana.

The detention of the training ship ARA Libertad was main topic of discussion previously labelled “a worrying precedent for world navigation,” by the government in a communiqué.

Timerman during the round of contracts was accompanied by Ambassador to the US Jorge Argüello, Deputy foreign minister Eduardo Zuian and the permanent representative to the UN, María Cristina Perceval.

According to the official report from Ban Ki-moon’s office, the Secretary General congratulated Foreign minister Timerman on Argentina’s accession to the Security Council during the 2013/2014 period.

In the meeting with Mr. Timerman, the Secretary-General thanked Argentina for its “steadfast support” of UN priorities and welcomed the South American nation’s new Permanent Representative-designate to the UN, Ambassador María Cristina Perceval.

The two men also discussed the ongoing diplomatic incident between Argentina and Ghana over the Fragata Libertad – an Argentine sailing ship used for naval training exercises which has been detained in Ghana’s port of Temma for almost three weeks, following an official request by local authorities.

“According to media reports, a Ghanaian judge ordered the seizure of the ship at the behest of NML Capital Ltd, a hedge fund group demanding full compensation from the Argentine Government following the country’s financial default over a decade ago”.

Mr. Ban “acknowledged the Government of Argentina’s concern for the well-being of its crew members and voiced hope that both Buenos Aires and Accra would find a way to address the issue of a bilateral basis, in accordance with international law, including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, to which both nations are parties.