Argentina's New President Speaks on Salvation Plan

Home>>World

Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, January 03, 2002

Argentina's New President Speaks on Salvation Plan

Argentina's new president Eduardo Duhalde, a senator from the populist wing of the Peronist party, called for a dialogue among all the political forces to elaborate a national salvation plan here on Wednesday.

Duhalde, 60, who was appointed as the cash-strapped country's new leader at a joint session of the bicameral Congress after five

hours of debate, said that "we will work together with the joint efforts of the political parties, trade unions and entrepreneurs in a bid to elaborate immediately a national salvation plan."

Duhalde, who will serve out the remainder of the four-year term

of former President Fernando de la Rua through December 10, 2003, said, "I commit myself to making personal efforts to resolve the current crisis and transfer the presidential ribbon to another elected president (in 2003)."

Duhalde, vice-president (1989-1991) in former President Carlos Saul Menem's government and governor of the populous Buenos Aires province between 1991 and 1999, was the Peronist party's candidate

in the 1999 general elections, in which he was defeated by Fernando de la Rua of the Civic Radical Union.

The Peronist senator said he will set up a government of national unity that is "above political boundaries and party interests."

"I was elected by the representatives of our people, from whom comes the legitimacy of my presidency," he said.

He made it clear he will carry out the suspension of payments on the public debt, which has amounted to 132 billion U.S. dollars."We had to temporarily suspend payments on the servicing of our public debt, simply because we are not in a condition to do so under these circumstances of social explosion," Duhalde said.

The Peronist politician said he has no plan to reverse the default decision decreed by his predecessor Adolfo Rodriguez Saa, who tendered his resignation on Sunday amid the mounting economic crisis in the country, citing lack of political support for his week-long government.

"We need the understanding and the cooperation of the international community" on this decision, said Duhalde, adding that "we are not in a condition to do so at these crucial moments"in reference to the widespread social turmoil in which Argentina has been plunged since the second half of December.

Duhalde was elected by a vote of 262-21 with 18 abstentions at the congressional session, which was originally set for 2:00 p.m. local time (1700 GMT) on Tuesday.

The new Argentine leader said that during his term he will lay the basis "to finish the economic model that has brought desperation to the vast majority of our people" and to establish a"new model" which will guarantee a more just distribution of the social wealth.

Duhalde criticized the free market policies that have been implemented in Argentina over the last decade.

Argentine Ruling Party Denies Pressuring Interim President to Quit

Argentine Interim President Adolfo Rodriguez Saa Resigns