BUENOS AIRES — President Barack Obama will on Thursday tackle one of the most troubled periods of US history with Argentina, visiting a memorial to victims of the country’s murderous US-backed dictatorship.
Mr Obama will visit the Parque de la Memoria near Buenos Aires, a monument to the estimated 30,000 people who were killed or went missing from 1976-1983, and deliver a speech.
Mr Obama’s two-day visit coincides with the 40th anniversary of a right-wing military coup, which the US government condoned and which ushered in the dictatorship.
During his visit, Mr Obama has tried to present a softer side of the hemisphere’s pre-eminent power.
He joked about tasting Argentina’s national beverage, mate, for the first time and about trying to meet soccer superstar Lionel Messi, while fondly recalling reading books by Argentinian writers Jorge Luis Borges and Julio Cortazar.
He even had a go at the tango — with a pro — at a state dinner, no less.
Looking relaxed while practising a few steps with dancer Mora Godoy, while his First Lady Michelle Obama gave it a whirl with dancer Jose Lugones, the Obamas held their own on the tango’s home turf.
But the past has never been far away.
In 2002, Washington declassified 4,000 diplomatic cables that showed US officials, including then-secretary of state Henry Kissinger, encouraged the military junta’s purge of leftists.
While acknowledging "moments" in US foreign policy "that were counterproductive" Mr Obama pushed for reconciliation during his first full day in Argentina on Wednesday.
In a strategic gesture, Mr Obama agreed to declassify sensitive military and intelligence records linked to the "dirty war". The intelligence and military documents could shed new light on the depth of US involvement in the coup and in the purges that followed.
"Prior US government releases have detailed human rights abuses and US policy making in Chile, Guatemala, El Salvador," said Carlos Osorio at the National Security Archive.
They may also shed more light on the extent of US involvement in Operation Condor, a plan among secret police agencies across the Southern Cone to target communists, leftists and dissidents.
"We all need and we are entitled to know what the truth is," said Argentinian President Mauricio Macri, who had asked for the documents to be released.
Mr Obama’s visit has angered some victims’ groups. Several have called on Mr Obama to apologise for US support of the military regime.
Adolfo Perez Esquivel, an Argentinian human rights activist who, like Mr Obama, is a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, recalled that US military academies trained troops from Argentina and other Latin American regimes in torture techniques.
"It would be good to have a public recognition of US interventionism," Mr Perez Esquivel said.
Mr Obama is on his first visit to Argentina hoping to nurture a new regional ally.
He also offered a warm embrace of Mr Macri, the country’s charismatic centrist and pro-business leader, praising him as a "man in a hurry" who wants to create jobs and mend the underperforming economy.
The White House is keen to help bolster the new president, spotting a chance to put Argentina on a firmer financial footing and create a new ally in the region.
Mr Macri won elections in November, ending 12 years of leftist and crisis-ridden rule by the late Nestor Kirchner and his wife Cristina who revelled in political enmity with Washington.
In his first 100 days in office, Mr Macri has distanced himself from South America’s leftist bloc and sought a thaw in relations with Western capitals as he seeks new investment in Latin America’s number three economy.
Mr Obama’s visit has also included an effort to neutralise another point of contention between the two countries — finance.
A $100bn default in 2001 made Argentina a financial pariah, effectively shutting it out from international capital markets.
Mr Macri has tried to quickly clear billions’ worth of remaining claims from holdout bond holders, who are predominantly from the US.
A deal has been agreed but has yet to be ratified.
Until the issue is resolved, Argentina is frozen out of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), making investment difficult.
Mr Obama praised Mr Macri’s "constructive approach" in reaching a deal with creditors and said it had led to the "possibility of a resolution". The Obamas are scheduled to leave Argentina on Thursday night after a quick recreational trip to Patagonia.
AFP and Reuters
US President Barack Obama dances the tango during a state dinner hosted by Argentina's President Mauricio Macri in Buenos Aires on Wednesday, during his two-day visit to Argentina. Picture: REUTERS
BUENOS AIRES — President Barack Obama will on Thursday tackle one of the most troubled periods of US history with Argentina, visiting a memorial to victims of the country’s murderous US-backed dictatorship.
Mr Obama will visit the Parque de la Memoria near Buenos Aires, a monument to the estimated 30,000 people who were killed or went missing from 1976-1983, and deliver a speech.
Mr Obama’s two-day visit coincides with the 40th anniversary of a right-wing military coup, which the US government condoned and which ushered in the dictatorship.
During his visit, Mr Obama has tried to present a softer side of the hemisphere’s pre-eminent power.
He joked about tasting Argentina’s national beverage, mate, for the first time and about trying to meet soccer superstar Lionel Messi, while fondly recalling reading books by Argentinian writers Jorge Luis Borges and Julio Cortazar.
He even had a go at the tango — with a pro — at a state dinner, no less.
Looking relaxed while practising a few steps with dancer Mora Godoy, while his First Lady Michelle Obama gave it a whirl with dancer Jose Lugones, the Obamas held their own on the tango’s home turf.
But the past has never been far away.
In 2002, Washington declassified 4,000 diplomatic cables that showed US officials, including then-secretary of state Henry Kissinger, encouraged the military junta’s purge of leftists.
While acknowledging "moments" in US foreign policy "that were counterproductive" Mr Obama pushed for reconciliation during his first full day in Argentina on Wednesday.
In a strategic gesture, Mr Obama agreed to declassify sensitive military and intelligence records linked to the "dirty war". The intelligence and military documents could shed new light on the depth of US involvement in the coup and in the purges that followed.
"Prior US government releases have detailed human rights abuses and US policy making in Chile, Guatemala, El Salvador," said Carlos Osorio at the National Security Archive.
They may also shed more light on the extent of US involvement in Operation Condor, a plan among secret police agencies across the Southern Cone to target communists, leftists and dissidents.
"We all need and we are entitled to know what the truth is," said Argentinian President Mauricio Macri, who had asked for the documents to be released.
Mr Obama’s visit has angered some victims’ groups. Several have called on Mr Obama to apologise for US support of the military regime.
Adolfo Perez Esquivel, an Argentinian human rights activist who, like Mr Obama, is a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, recalled that US military academies trained troops from Argentina and other Latin American regimes in torture techniques.
"It would be good to have a public recognition of US interventionism," Mr Perez Esquivel said.
Mr Obama is on his first visit to Argentina hoping to nurture a new regional ally.
He also offered a warm embrace of Mr Macri, the country’s charismatic centrist and pro-business leader, praising him as a "man in a hurry" who wants to create jobs and mend the underperforming economy.
The White House is keen to help bolster the new president, spotting a chance to put Argentina on a firmer financial footing and create a new ally in the region.
Mr Macri won elections in November, ending 12 years of leftist and crisis-ridden rule by the late Nestor Kirchner and his wife Cristina who revelled in political enmity with Washington.
In his first 100 days in office, Mr Macri has distanced himself from South America’s leftist bloc and sought a thaw in relations with Western capitals as he seeks new investment in Latin America’s number three economy.
Mr Obama’s visit has also included an effort to neutralise another point of contention between the two countries — finance.
A $100bn default in 2001 made Argentina a financial pariah, effectively shutting it out from international capital markets.
Mr Macri has tried to quickly clear billions’ worth of remaining claims from holdout bond holders, who are predominantly from the US.
A deal has been agreed but has yet to be ratified.
Until the issue is resolved, Argentina is frozen out of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), making investment difficult.
Mr Obama praised Mr Macri’s "constructive approach" in reaching a deal with creditors and said it had led to the "possibility of a resolution". The Obamas are scheduled to leave Argentina on Thursday night after a quick recreational trip to Patagonia.
AFP and Reuters
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