Page 9 - Aruba Today
P. 9
WORLD NEWS 9
Thursday 24 March 2016
Obama, new Argentine leader
work to break from past tensions
JOSH LEDERMAN U.S. for Argentina’s prob- Aires. U.S. President Barack Obama shakes hands with Argentina’s
PETER PRENGAMAN lems and was accused of “I don’t want to go through President Mauricio Macri at the government house in Buenos
Associated Press helping Iran hide its role in the list of every activity of Aires, Argentina, Wednesday, March 23, 2016. Obama is on a
BUENOS AIRES, Argen- bombing a Jewish center the United States in Latin two day official visit to Argentina.
tina (AP) — On a fence- in Buenos Aires, a claim she America,” Obama said.
mending mission, President denied. But he said one of the Associated Press
Barack Obama held up Ar- So Obama was all too glad “great things about Amer-
gentina on Wednesday as to see Fernandez replaced ica” is that “we engage in
an emerging world leader by Macri, who has started a lot of self-criticism.”
worthy of U.S. support, as pushing Argentina back Still, there were detrac-
he and Argentine President toward the political center tors. Some prominent rights
Mauricio Macri broke with after years of flirting with the groups threatened to boy-
years of tensions between extreme left. To that end, cott Obama’s visit to Re-
their countries. Obama’s visit was a reward membrance Park. And a
Obama’s state visit to Bue- of sorts to keep that promis- few hundred people gath-
nos Aires quickly turned ing trajectory on track. It’s ered at a McDonald’s in
into a love-fest between a theme of Obama’s Latin protest.
him and Macri, who in De- America policy that was on “We reject Obama’s pres-
cember replaced Cristina vivid display a day earlier in ence because the United
Fernandez, long a thorn in Cuba, where Obama paid States is most responsible
Obama’s side. Obama lav- a history-making visit aimed for the dictatorship,” said
ished praise on Macri and at spurring further reforms Victoria Remesa, a 25-year-
said his visit was “so person- in the communist country. old teacher-in-training.
ally important,” even riffing Obama’s administration
on his boyhood interest in has also been heartened
Argentinian literature and by the Venezuelan opposi-
culture. tion’s recent success in leg-
“President Macri is a man islative elections and Boliv-
in a hurry,” Obama said ian President Evo Morales’
in Casa Rosada, the pink- defeat in a referendum on
hued presidential palace term limits.
made famous in the U.S. Those developments have
by the movie “Evita.” ‘’I’m fueled optimism in Wash-
impressed because he has ington “that Latin America
moved rapidly on so many is moving toward more ra-
of the reforms that he tional economic and po-
promised.” litical policies,” said Gabriel
Macri, who has committed Salvia of the Center for
Argentina to a pro-business the Opening and Devel-
approach, was equally ef- opment of Latin America,
fusive about Obama, who an Argentina-based think
leaves office in less than a tank.
year. Yet Obama conceded that
“You emerged proposing America’s history backing
major changes and you repressive regimes in the
showed they were pos- region had clouded its abil-
sible — that by being bold ity to take the moral high-
and with conviction, you ground. His visit, the first for
could challenge the status a U.S. president in nearly 20
quo,” Macri said. He add- years, coincides with the
ed, “That was also a path 40th anniversary this week
of inspiration for what our of Argentina’s 1976 coup,
dear country is now going stirring up lingering ques-
through.” tions about America’s role
Obama has made no se- supporting the military dic-
cret of his preference for tatorship that followed.
Macri over the left-leaning At Macri’s request, Obama
Fernandez, whose mean- has agreed to declassify
dering invectives against U.S. intelligence and mili-
the U.S. were a source tary records about the pe-
of frequent eye-rolling in riod known as the “Dirty
the White House. Fernan- War,” a gesture Macri said
dez was close with Hugo would help Argentinians
Chavez, Venezuela’s fa- “know what the truth is.”
mously anti-American late Before closing his visit on
president, and openly ad- Thursday, Obama planned
mired Cuban revolution- to pay homage to the dic-
ary leader Fidel Castro. She tatorship’s victims at Re-
was quick to blame the membrance Park in Buenos
