Argentina to File Complaint against US over Illegal Weapons
The Argentine Foreign Ministry said there were weapons, various types of drugs and several doses of morphine among the material seized Thursday on a US military aircraft
2011-02-14 | 14:08:04 EST
In a communiqué, the Argentinean Foreign Ministry announced that it would be filing a complaint against the United States for trying to bring into Argentina unregistered "sensitive" material in a US Air Force plane that landed last Thursday.
An earlier communiqué complained that “Last Wednesday February 9 the Foreign Ministry received a written request from the United States Embassy requesting cooperation for the introduction in Argentina of 'sensitive material' scheduled to be used in a security training course. It also reminded that last August a similar course was called off by a decision of the US Ambassador to Argentina.”
The August cancellation was due to the fact that a U.S. Air Force plane “could not unload that sensitive material, because it did not match with the document presented to the Argentine authorities”, added the official statement.
“Last Thursday a C17 U.S. Air Force plane landed (at Ezeiza) Customs Office, together with the Airports Security Police checked the ‘sensitive material’ to verify that it coincided with the list previously presented by the US Embassy. As a result some one thousand cubic feet had to be seized, because they had not been included in the list delivered by the US Embassy”, added the communiqué.
The rest of the shipment was delivered and withdrawn by the US Embassy.
“Customs and Airports Police officials conducted an inventory, which was signed by the authorities present of both countries and placed at the disposal of the competent Argentine authorities. The Foreign Ministry intervened in its capacity of responsible of the relationship with a foreign country”, the communiqué finally stated.
The friction between Buenos Aires and Washington over the seizure of illegal weapons and drugs found on the military aircraft intensified Monday after Argentina said it would file an official protest.
In another communiqué on the matter, the Argentine Foreign Ministry said there were weapons, various types of drugs and several doses of morphine among the material seized Thursday on a US military aircraft.
The communique added, “this country shall issue a protest as well as a request of cooperation to investigate the reasons that the United States Air Force had to try to violate the Argentine legislation, by introducing disguised material within an official US cargo.”
It also explained that the United States Embassy handed over in December a list of elements it wanted to introduce in Argentina, as part of a course on rescue of hostages it had agreed with local authorities.
It also explained that in view that in August 2010 the U.S. Air Force had tried to introduce a cargo of weapons, by passing the Customs control, the Foreign Ministry requested the Embassy to take into account the Argentine customs legislation.
At that time, the US Air Force was authorized to take back that material because it still had not been unloaded.
But in this occasion, on Thursday February 10, 2011, the Customs office checked the cargo and found out that a good part of it had not included in the “list of good faith” previously provided by the Embassy.
The Customs authorities released the cargo legally introduced and seized what had been attempted to introduce in violation of our legislation.
The Foreign Ministry pointed out that “the seized material, to which the State Department fails to make any reference, included from weapons to different drugs, including doses of morphine”.
"Also material for the interception of communications, several sophisticated and powerful GPS, technological elements with codes labeled as secret and a trunk full of overdue medical drugs”, reads the communique.
None of the materials seized, nearly 1,000 cubic feet of cargo, according to official sources, from the US Air Force C-17 aircraft were on the list provided by the US Embassy to Argentina.
According to news reports, Argentine Foreign Minister Hector Timerman told US Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Arturo Valenzuela by telephone that Argentine laws must be observed by everybody, without exception.
The US State Department's spokeswoman for Western Hemisphere affairs, Virginia Staab, responded to the issue, stating that the cargo was properly declared in accordance with previous discussions and understanding.
According to Staab, the purpose of the visit was a military training exchange between US experts and the Argentine Federal Police, focused on advanced hostage rescue and crisis management techniques; these training were cancelled.
In August, a course on safety had to be cancelled by order of the US Ambassador because a US military aircraft could not unload its cargo after it did not match the manifest provided to local authorities, the Argentine Foreign Ministry said.
An earlier communiqué complained that “Last Wednesday February 9 the Foreign Ministry received a written request from the United States Embassy requesting cooperation for the introduction in Argentina of 'sensitive material' scheduled to be used in a security training course. It also reminded that last August a similar course was called off by a decision of the US Ambassador to Argentina.”
The August cancellation was due to the fact that a U.S. Air Force plane “could not unload that sensitive material, because it did not match with the document presented to the Argentine authorities”, added the official statement.
“Last Thursday a C17 U.S. Air Force plane landed (at Ezeiza) Customs Office, together with the Airports Security Police checked the ‘sensitive material’ to verify that it coincided with the list previously presented by the US Embassy. As a result some one thousand cubic feet had to be seized, because they had not been included in the list delivered by the US Embassy”, added the communiqué.
The rest of the shipment was delivered and withdrawn by the US Embassy.
“Customs and Airports Police officials conducted an inventory, which was signed by the authorities present of both countries and placed at the disposal of the competent Argentine authorities. The Foreign Ministry intervened in its capacity of responsible of the relationship with a foreign country”, the communiqué finally stated.
The friction between Buenos Aires and Washington over the seizure of illegal weapons and drugs found on the military aircraft intensified Monday after Argentina said it would file an official protest.
In another communiqué on the matter, the Argentine Foreign Ministry said there were weapons, various types of drugs and several doses of morphine among the material seized Thursday on a US military aircraft.
The communique added, “this country shall issue a protest as well as a request of cooperation to investigate the reasons that the United States Air Force had to try to violate the Argentine legislation, by introducing disguised material within an official US cargo.”
It also explained that the United States Embassy handed over in December a list of elements it wanted to introduce in Argentina, as part of a course on rescue of hostages it had agreed with local authorities.
It also explained that in view that in August 2010 the U.S. Air Force had tried to introduce a cargo of weapons, by passing the Customs control, the Foreign Ministry requested the Embassy to take into account the Argentine customs legislation.
At that time, the US Air Force was authorized to take back that material because it still had not been unloaded.
But in this occasion, on Thursday February 10, 2011, the Customs office checked the cargo and found out that a good part of it had not included in the “list of good faith” previously provided by the Embassy.
The Customs authorities released the cargo legally introduced and seized what had been attempted to introduce in violation of our legislation.
The Foreign Ministry pointed out that “the seized material, to which the State Department fails to make any reference, included from weapons to different drugs, including doses of morphine”.
"Also material for the interception of communications, several sophisticated and powerful GPS, technological elements with codes labeled as secret and a trunk full of overdue medical drugs”, reads the communique.
None of the materials seized, nearly 1,000 cubic feet of cargo, according to official sources, from the US Air Force C-17 aircraft were on the list provided by the US Embassy to Argentina.
According to news reports, Argentine Foreign Minister Hector Timerman told US Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Arturo Valenzuela by telephone that Argentine laws must be observed by everybody, without exception.
The US State Department's spokeswoman for Western Hemisphere affairs, Virginia Staab, responded to the issue, stating that the cargo was properly declared in accordance with previous discussions and understanding.
According to Staab, the purpose of the visit was a military training exchange between US experts and the Argentine Federal Police, focused on advanced hostage rescue and crisis management techniques; these training were cancelled.
In August, a course on safety had to be cancelled by order of the US Ambassador because a US military aircraft could not unload its cargo after it did not match the manifest provided to local authorities, the Argentine Foreign Ministry said.
