It will be an unprecedented gesture to redirect the oscillating relations between Washington and Buenos Aires. Furthermore, it will be a very important step if the tense situation that occurred a year ago is evaluated. The U.S. embassy in Argentina is preparing a double celebration to commemorate its independence day. On July 4 there will be a jovial celebration in the diplomatic seat of Buenos Aires; on the following day the festivities will be transferred to the city of Cordoba.
Although relations between the two countries remain highly unsettled, this event marks a significant change in the relations between the U.S. and Argentina. However, we must bear in mind that the traditional diplomatic cocktail for Independence Day did not take place in the American Embassy in Buenos Aires last year because of lingering unease due to the seizure of military equipment on a U.S. Air Force plane by the government of Cristina Kirchner.
At present the relationship between Buenos Aires and Washington is not going through its best time. Less than a month ago, Assistant Secretary of State for the Western Hemisphere Roberta Jacobson described this relationship as "difficult." But U.S. Ambassador Vilma Martinez wants to turn the page and issue a gesture of goodwill. Therefore, the American Embassy will open the doors of its residence in Buenos Aires on July 4 and will celebrate Independence Day with guests of the Casa Rosada, businessmen, journalists and other prominent figures of the Argentine cultural and scientific field.
On the following day, Ambassador Martinez will take the celebrations to Cordoba. Here, North American diplomacy will rely on support from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Argentina and the Argentine American Cultural Institute to carry out the preparations for the celebration. It will be the first time in history that the U.S. Embassy will commemorate the Independence Day outside of Buenos Aires.
"It is a matter of reviving the idea of federalism and issuing a gesture toward the interior of the country," the U.S. Embassy spokesman commented to La Nacion yesterday. It is known that the ambassador toured all the provinces of the Argentina and developed an extensive cultural program. Although the diplomat is an admirer of northern Argentina, she also enjoys much of Patagonia.
This time Cordoba was chosen for being the second most important province in the country and because it is located in the center of Argentina. The North American embassy did not release the precise location of the celebrations, but it rejected a political interpretation of the selection of Cordoba with its coming elections since on July 5, in addition to Governor Jose Manuel de la Sota, all governors who wish to participate in the meeting will be present.
The festivities for Independence Day will arrive two months after Barack Obama's administration formally recognized that the relation with Argentina is "difficult" and faces "obstacles" in sensitive areas, like the country’s international financial behavior, national security and the fight against drug trafficking. Jacobson told Congress in her country that Argentina "has to go back to having a positive relationship with the international financial community … ." These words came after the government expropriated the Treasury Petroleum Fields, YPF, from Repsol and received harsh international criticism.
DÃa de la independencia
EE.UU. hará un doble festejo en la Argentina
Por MartÃn Dinatale | LA NACION
Martes 22 de mayo de 2012
Embajadora Vilma MartÃnez. Foto: Archivo
Será un fuerte gesto para reencauzar las zigzagueantes relaciones entre Washington y Buenos Aires. Y resultará un paso muy importante si se evalúa la situación de tensión que se registraba apenas un año atrás. La embajada de los Estados Unidos en la Argentina se dispone a hacer un doble festejo por el dÃa de la independencia. El 4 de julio habrá un agasajo en la sede diplomática de Buenos Aires y al dÃa siguiente trasladará el dÃa festivo a la ciudad de Córdoba.
La relación actual de Buenos Aires y Washington no pasa por su mejor momento. Hace menos de un mes la subsecretaria de Estado para el Hemisferio Occidental, Roberta Jacobson, calificó el vÃnculo de "difÃcil". Pero la embajadora norteamericana Vilma MartÃnez quiere dar vuelta la página y emitir un gesto de buena disposición. Por ello abrirá las puertas de su residencia en Buenos Aires el 4 de julio y festejará el dÃa de la independencia con invitados de la Casa Rosada, empresarios, periodistas y referentes del ámbito cultural y cientÃfico argentino.
Al dÃa siguiente, la embajadora MartÃnez llevará los festejos a Córdoba. Allà la diplomacia norteamericana contará con el apoyo de la Cámara de Comercio de los Estados Unidos en la Argentina y del Instituto Cultural de Intercambio Argentino-Americano para la realización de la fiesta. Será la primera vez en la historia que la embajada norteamericana conmemore el dÃa de la independencia fuera de Buenos Aires.