US could topple my government, kill me: Argentina's Kirchner

[jimmy olsen]

Are you involved Derspeiss!? 

http://news.yahoo.com/us-could-topple-government-kill-argentinas-kirchner-095518100.html

US could topple my government, kill me: Argentina's Kirchner
AFP
By Daniel MEROLLA 8 hours ago

Buenos Aires (AFP) - Argentina's President Cristina Kirchner charged in an emotional address that domestic and US interests were pushing to topple her government, and could even kill her.

Domestic business interests "are trying to bring down the government, with international (US) help," she said.

Kirchner said that on her recent visit to Pope Francis -- a fellow Argentine whose help she has sought in Argentina's ongoing debt default row -- police warned her about supposed plots against her by Islamic State activists.

"So, if something happens to me, don't look to the Mideast, look north" to the United States, Kirchner said at Government House.

- Don't believe US: Kirchner -

Just hours after the US embassy here warned its citizens to take extra safety precautions in Argentina, an aggravated Kirchner said "when you see what has been coming out of diplomatic offices, they had better not come in here and try to sell some tall tale about ISIS trying to track me down so they can kill me."

The president said local soybean producers unhappy with prices, other exporters and car company executives, all were involved since they would benefit from a devaluation of the peso, which is being pushed lower by her government's selective default.

"Exporters who have lost money have Argentina in a vise .. so do the car company executives who tell consumers they have no inventory when they do .... What they are all waiting for is a devaluation."

Argentina exited recession with 0.9-percent economic growth in the second quarter, national statistics institute INDEC said Wednesday, a rare bit of good news amid the country's new debt default.

But with inflation estimated at more than 30 percent and the value of the peso tumbling, Latin America's third-largest economy is still mired in a slowdown after averaging 7.8-percent annual growth from 2003 to 2011.

Argentina is still struggling with the aftermath of a default on nearly $100 billion in debt in 2001, with the two hedge funds it labels vultures battling the country in US courts.

But it has been blocked by US federal judge Thomas Griesa, who has ordered the country to first repay two hedge funds demanding the full $1.3 billion face value of their bonds.

Griesa ruled Monday that Argentina was in contempt of court after it passed a law allowing the government to repay creditors in Buenos Aires or Paris -- skirting the New York judge's freeze on the bank accounts it previously used to service its debt.

Argentina has been locked out of international financial markets since its 2001 default.

More than 92 percent of its creditors agreed to take losses of up to 70 percent on the face value of their bonds in 2005 and 2010 to get the struggling country's debt repayments back on track.

But the two hedge funds, US billionaire Paul Singer's NML Capital and US-based Aurelius Capital Management, which had bought up defaulted Argentine bonds for pennies on the dollar, refused to accept the write-down and took the country to court.

The strategy, which stands to make them profits of up to 1,600 percent, has earned them the label "vulture funds" from Buenos Aires.

Blocked from paying its restructured debt, Argentina missed a $539 million interest payment and entered default again on July 30.

It is now trying to buy time until the end of the year, the expiration date for a clause in the restructuring deals that entitles all bondholders to equal treatment.

Argentina is meanwhile lobbying to create a UN convention to prevent a minority of bondholders from scuppering struggling countries' debt restructuring plans.

A resolution to negotiate such a framework passed the United Nations General Assembly earlier this month.

- Tough outlook -



Economic analysts are forecasting the economy will shrink two percent this year, though the government is forecasting a return to economic growth of 2.8 percent in 2015.

The end of the boom has revived the ghost of Argentina's 2001 economic crisis, when it defaulted on $100 billion in debt and deadly riots erupted.

That violence, in which at least 26 people were killed, led to the resignation of president Fernando de la Rua, who was replaced by Adolfo Rodriguez Saa. He resigned a week after taking office amid more unrest.

[Valmy]

She must really be unpopular to play the EVIL YANKEE card.

[Tonitrus]

Is there a Latin American leader who hasn't pulled the America-is-out-to-get-me card?

[Valmy]

Is there a Latin American leader who hasn't pulled the America-is-out-to-get-me card?

Ones who are popular.

[Josquius]

If i was the chinese i would be putting a lot of thought into killing hsr about now

[Neil]

You know, the third world is really in a rough spot.  There really isn't any way you can develop.  If you want to attract an industrial base, you have to create deeper discounts for businesses than China or Vietnam, which means charging them no taxes and cutting your labour and safety standards until they don't exist anymore.  In the meantime, anybody in your country who gets a bit of money or is especially talented ends up emigrating to the West, and all your capital ends up in the global stock market casino rather than being invested domestically.  Really, vultures in the sovereign debt market are a minor indignity compared to the bigger problems they face.

[KRonn]

Is there a Latin American leader who hasn't pulled the America-is-out-to-get-me card?

Seems the go-to defense for the popularist vote.

Besides, Obama isn't likely looking to topple any nation, except maybe the USA.   

[derspiess]

Are you involved Derspeiss!? 

I'm sitting this one out.  The Argentine voters need to feel the full pain of choosing a left Peronist (as if the other Peronists weren't bad enough).

And I posted this article yesterday on the OT thread

[Syt]

I think I may watch EVITA again. It's been a while.

[Caliga]

Her massive collagen injections will topple her well before the US can get around to caring enough to do it.

[Baron von Schtinkenbutt]

I'm sitting this one out.  The Argentine voters need to feel the full pain of choosing a left Peronist (as if the other Peronists weren't bad enough).

Isn't "left Peronist" an oxymoron, or am I just out-of-touch with Argie politics?

[Admiral Yi]

Isn't "left Peronist" an oxymoron, or am I just out-of-touch with Argie politics?

The Peronist party has (had?) a centrist wing.  Fewer expropriations, fewer fake stats.  President Menem belonged to that wing.

[DontSayBanana]

Yeah, Argentina's real high priority on our EVOL HIT LIST(TM).

Sorry to burst your bubble, lady, but trying to off Putin, Assad, ISIL, and wondering whether we need to take out Erdogan or not are all full-time jobs.

[derspiess]

I'm sitting this one out.  The Argentine voters need to feel the full pain of choosing a left Peronist (as if the other Peronists weren't bad enough).

Isn't "left Peronist" an oxymoron, or am I just out-of-touch with Argie politics?

The party has had some serious left-right divisions since the 70s.  Both are populist, sometimes use similar rhetoric, and love putting up huge murals of Eva Peron, but beginning with the Kirchner era, they have split into two de facto parties.

Wikipedia says there are three factions (left, right, center) but in reality there's not a lot of difference between the center and right factions and they form the dissident movement against Kirchnerism.

Argentine politics is a huge mess.  Until fairly recently there was never really a candidate or party I could support.

[Eddie Teach]

Sorry to burst your bubble, lady, but trying to off Putin, Assad, ISIL, and wondering whether we need to take out Erdogan or not are all full-time jobs.

Erdogan? Yeah, we should get rid of him right after the Saudis.