GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Argentina’s president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner rejected criticism by the International Monetary Fund of her government’s presentation of economic statistics, saying the country would not submit to threats.
The Argentinian leader spoke Tuesday 25 October at the United Nations General Assembly a day after IMF chief Christine Lagarde warned that Argentina could face sanctions unless it produces acceptable growth and inflation statistics. Lagarde said the IMF had already given the country a “yellow card”, but that it could face a red one if it did not comply.
In her UN speech, Fernandez de Kirchner replied “My country is not a football pitch. It is a sovereign nation which makes sovereign decisions … And since we are comparing football with politics and economics, I would like to say that the performance of the head of Fifa [international football federation] has been much better than those of the head of the Fund or the IMF directors”.
Official Argentinian figures released in early September put annual inflation at 10 percent, while a group of private economists say the annual rate is at 24 percent.
In the speech, Fernandez de Kirchner also urged that the United Kingdom agree to discussions on the “global issue” of the Falklands/Malvianas islands and the demilitarization of the South Atlantic. She was welcomed by pot-banging demonstrators when she returned to her New York hotel.
Links to other sources: AFP, Associated Press, BBC, MercoPress
