WASHINGTON, April 17 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- ATFA ran a full-page color advertisement in the Wall Street Journal identifying Argentina as a growing threat to the U.S. and demanding the country to repay its debts and follow the examples of Latin American countries such as Brazil and Mexico, which are embracing the global economy and working to join the ranks of developed nations.
The ad features Venezuela's dictator Hugo Chavez, former Argentine President Nestor Kirchner and current Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner clenching hands and also details how Argentina presents a growing threat to the U.S. and its allies:
"Bad Friend: In 2005, Argentina offered to restructure $80 billion in its defaulted public debt at the worst terms in history, and then repudiated $20 billion of it owed to foreign lenders. Growing Threat: Argentina has drawn increasingly close to Venezuela's anti-American dictator Hugo Chavez. Nearly $800,000 in Venezuelan money was smuggled into Argentina, likely for an illegal campaign contribution to Cristina Kirchner's successful presidential bid.
"Bad Friend: The Argentine government has deliberately and aggressively devalued its currency in an effort to maintain a 'competitive currency exchange rate,' creating an unfair trade advantage for Argentine producers over American farmers. Growing Threat: Hugo Chavez's state-sponsored support for terror groups such as The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) has led to congressional calls to designate Venezuela as a state sponsor to terrorism.
"Bad Friend: Argentine beef has been affected by outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in recent years. A proposed USDA plan nevertheless would allow the importation of Argentine beef, at great cost to U.S. agriculture. Growing Threat: Argentina's new president, Cristina Kirchner, has voiced a new claim to the Falkland Islands, stirring up a dormant territorial dispute with U.S. ally Great Britain that led to war in the 1980's."
To view a copy of the ad, visit http://atfa.org/files/ATFA_Threat_WSJ_12.pdf.
Made up of an alliance of organizations, ATFA's leadership includes its two co-chairs, the Honorable Robert J. Shapiro, former Under Secretary of Commerce for Economic Affairs in the Clinton Administration and Ambassador Nancy Soderberg, Ambassador at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in New York from 1997 to 2001. The Executive Director is Mr. Robert Raben, former Assistant Attorney General during the Clinton administration.
For additional information, please visit our website at http://www.atfa.org/, or contact media@atfa.org, or +1-888-662-2382.
American Task Force Argentina
