VTMBH Article: Body
Former Argentinean President Carlos Menem was interrupted yesterday by a group of protesters at a conference at Fordham University, where he presented his doctoral dissertationa study of the political, social, and economic crises facing Argentina today.
The conference, organized by Fordham University Law School and billed as an important academic event, quickly deteriorated into a confrontation between Menem and angry ex-patriots. The protesters gathered in front of the school before and after the conference holding signs calling Menem a sellout and a thief.
Inside the conference, Menem was interrupted when he began to speak of his accomplishments during his decade-long reign, and throughout the question and answer period when Menem failed to respond to the protesters questions. The confrontation came as a surprise to Latin American officials and diplomats who attended the conference, as well as its organizers, who remained at a loss as to how to deal with the angry group.
Shouts of tyrant, liar, and sellout erupted from the audience as protesters challenged Menem to explain his role in the corruption and privatization of services that characterized his administration. The group also demanded that Menem address his participation in the sale of arms to Croatia and Ecuador and his involvement with organized crime in Argentina.
At one point Menem angrily addressed the protesters, saying, I demand respect because I have not attacked anybody. However Cecilia Bolocco, Menems wife, said afterwards that her husband was not affected by the interruptions. If there is anyone who has lived through difficult times and has been criticized unjustly in Argentina, it has been he [Menem]. He was detained for five years by the military and it was he who pardoned them years later. This kind of thing [the incident at the University] is unpleasant, but it also doesnt affect him because those who suffer most are those who attacked him, commented Bolocco.
Menem, who presents himself as the only politician who can save Argentina from its current crisis, highlighted parts of his proposed plan for economic and political reform, including instituting the dollar system and reforming the constitution. He also suggested implementing a new, unicameral legislature that would not exceed 150 members.
Menem defended his administrations decision to privatize several services, including the telephone, gas, and electric companies. He added that when he was elected as president the public sector provided poor services (including a wait as long as 10 years to have a home telephone installed), did not pay taxes, and faced a debt of thousands of millions of dollars.
Menem criticized the Fernando de la Rúa administration on two major issues. Firstly for discrediting the political heritage of his predecessor and also for incurring an unbalanced budget. In less than three years we ceased to be a paradigm of economic success in Latin America and became the protagonist of our own failure, explained Menem.
The ex-president pointed to stronger leadership and government reform as the only way to reestablish monetary stability and fiscal equilibrium in Argentina. He added that Argentina is unable to compete in todays economy because of the cost capital and not labor. He assured the audience that they would not see an economic recovery unless Argentinas credit was expanded.
Menems visit to New York is part of the former presidents campaign to return to the polls as a new hope for Argentina. A recent survey conducted by the Argentinean newspaper Clarín showed that 70 percent of those polled did not favor Menem; however 51 percent believed he could win a presidential election.
Menem also met with former President Bill Clinton and investment banks J.P. Morgan and Morgan Stanley, and visited Ground Zero to pay his respects to the victims of the World Trade Center tragedy. Today he will meet with former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and later have an interview with the New York Times.
The conference, organized by Fordham University Law School and billed as an important academic event, quickly deteriorated into a confrontation between Menem and angry ex-patriots. The protesters gathered in front of the school before and after the conference holding signs calling Menem a sellout and a thief.
Inside the conference, Menem was interrupted when he began to speak of his accomplishments during his decade-long reign, and throughout the question and answer period when Menem failed to respond to the protesters questions. The confrontation came as a surprise to Latin American officials and diplomats who attended the conference, as well as its organizers, who remained at a loss as to how to deal with the angry group.
Shouts of tyrant, liar, and sellout erupted from the audience as protesters challenged Menem to explain his role in the corruption and privatization of services that characterized his administration. The group also demanded that Menem address his participation in the sale of arms to Croatia and Ecuador and his involvement with organized crime in Argentina.
At one point Menem angrily addressed the protesters, saying, I demand respect because I have not attacked anybody. However Cecilia Bolocco, Menems wife, said afterwards that her husband was not affected by the interruptions. If there is anyone who has lived through difficult times and has been criticized unjustly in Argentina, it has been he [Menem]. He was detained for five years by the military and it was he who pardoned them years later. This kind of thing [the incident at the University] is unpleasant, but it also doesnt affect him because those who suffer most are those who attacked him, commented Bolocco.
Menem, who presents himself as the only politician who can save Argentina from its current crisis, highlighted parts of his proposed plan for economic and political reform, including instituting the dollar system and reforming the constitution. He also suggested implementing a new, unicameral legislature that would not exceed 150 members.
Menem defended his administrations decision to privatize several services, including the telephone, gas, and electric companies. He added that when he was elected as president the public sector provided poor services (including a wait as long as 10 years to have a home telephone installed), did not pay taxes, and faced a debt of thousands of millions of dollars.
Menem criticized the Fernando de la Rúa administration on two major issues. Firstly for discrediting the political heritage of his predecessor and also for incurring an unbalanced budget. In less than three years we ceased to be a paradigm of economic success in Latin America and became the protagonist of our own failure, explained Menem.
The ex-president pointed to stronger leadership and government reform as the only way to reestablish monetary stability and fiscal equilibrium in Argentina. He added that Argentina is unable to compete in todays economy because of the cost capital and not labor. He assured the audience that they would not see an economic recovery unless Argentinas credit was expanded.
Menems visit to New York is part of the former presidents campaign to return to the polls as a new hope for Argentina. A recent survey conducted by the Argentinean newspaper Clarín showed that 70 percent of those polled did not favor Menem; however 51 percent believed he could win a presidential election.
Menem also met with former President Bill Clinton and investment banks J.P. Morgan and Morgan Stanley, and visited Ground Zero to pay his respects to the victims of the World Trade Center tragedy. Today he will meet with former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and later have an interview with the New York Times.