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By Daniel A. Grech And Andres Oppenheimer.
Dgrech@herald.com. Posted on Wed, Jun. 11, 2003 in
The Miami Herald.
BUENOS AIRES - In a test-the-waters meeting Tuesday with new Argentine
President Néstor Kirchner, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell received
indications that Argentina will not condone human rights abuses in Cuba, despite
earlier signs of tighter Cuban-Argentine ties.
Cuba was among the few issues raised by Powell during his 50-minute
conversation with Kirchner, said Argentinas Foreign Minister Rafael Bielsa, who
was at the meeting.
Powell also brought up U.S. requests that Argentina provide peacekeeping
troops for Iraq, Argentinas foreign debt payments, plans for a hemisphere-wide
free-trade agreement and Kirchners efforts to impeach several Supreme Court
justices.
''Powell came here wondering whether he would meet an ideologue,'' Bielsa
told The Herald in an interview after the session, "and what he found was a
conscientious administrator.''
'GOOD VISIT'
Powell, who stopped in Argentina for three hours on his way back to
Washington from an Organization of American States meeting in Santiago, Chile,
seemed satisfied with the results of his visit.
''This was a very good get-to-know-you visit. I am very pleased,'' he said
at a news conference at the Casa Rosada, Argentinas presidential office, after
the meeting. "Our conversation was open and cordial, befitting a strong
relationship between two friends.''
Several hundred anti-American marchers demonstrated outside the Casa Rosada
in protest of Powells visit. They waved flags with the image of the late
guerrilla leader Ernesto ''Che'' Guevara and carried a rag doll on a stick
representing Powell.
But in light of the recent rise of anti-American sentiment in Argentina --
reflected in polls showing it as one of the countries whose population most
opposed the Iraq war -- the demonstrations were relatively small.
When Powell raised the Cuba issue, Kirchner told him that ''Argentina has a
long history of defending human rights in every country of the world. We are not
going to deviate from this position just because of any one country in
particular,'' Bielsa quoted the president as saying.
HUMAN RIGHTS
Asked about his own statements shortly before becoming foreign minister that
played down human rights issues in Cuba, Bielsa responded, "In a global
context, there are violations of human rights in Cuba.''
While his country will denounce human rights violations everywhere, Bielsa
said, Cuba would not be a ''particular target'' of Argentine condemnations.
Fidel Castro was given a heros welcome in Buenos Aires two weeks ago for
Kirchners inauguration.
On a possible Argentine contribution of peacekeeping troops to Iraq,
Kirchner did not rule it out but said it would have to be ''within the
multilateral framework of the United Nations,'' the foreign minister quoted the
president as saying.
Powell also expressed support for Kirchners intention to forge a long-term
plan to repay Argentinas $140 billion in foreign debt, which the country
defaulted on in 2001 during its worst-ever economic crisis.
Kirchner plans to visit President Bush in the fall, Argentine officials
said. | 
