[Excerpt: Washington has asked some countries like Argentina to sign immunity agreements which exempt U.S. nationals from the International Criminal Court. The United States fear soldiers could be used in local rights cases as political pawns.....A U.S. Embassy official, who asked to remain anonymous, said the legal issues had not yet been overcome to renew military exercises. Argentina's Congress is studying a new proposal to end the impasse......Some U.S. officials also worry about a shift to the political left in recent years -- including among the leaders of Brazil, Argentina and Venezuela -- which has meant that more governments are openly critical of Bush administration policies.]
http://64.94.180.107/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=7977326§ion=news U.S. and Argentina Fail to Renew Military Exercises Tue Mar 22, 2005 06:06 PM ET BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (Reuters) - Argentina and Washington failed on Tuesday to reach an agreement granting U.S. troops immunity from prosecution in the South American country, a major stumbling block in efforts to resume joint military exercises. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and his Argentine counterpart Jose Pampuro studied ways of resuming the maneuvers in a brief meeting on Tuesday in Buenos Aires. Washington has asked some countries like Argentina to sign immunity agreements which exempt U.S. nationals from the International Criminal Court. The United States fear soldiers could be used in local rights cases as political pawns. A U.S. Embassy official, who asked to remain anonymous, said the legal issues had not yet been overcome to renew military exercises. Argentina's Congress is studying a new proposal to end the impasse. "It still hasn't been resolved because it is still being considered by the Argentine Congress," she said. It was Rumsfeld's second Latin American trip since President Bush was re-elected last November. Military exercises were blocked by the Argentine Congress last year because lawmakers rejected Washington's request to grant soldiers immunity from prosecution in local courts for possible crimes committed while on duty in the country. "We studied different options aimed at advancing ... military exercises with the United States," Pampuro said in a prepared statement to reporters. Any agreement would be "in a spirit of respect for both of our countries' standing laws," said Pampuro, adding that a proposal would eventually be put to a congressional vote. Rumsfeld called the meeting "excellent" and praised Argentina's peacekeeping role in Haiti. "Argentina is playing a truly vital role in the multinational peacekeeping forces in Haiti," Rumsfeld said. "Theirs is an important service to the hemisphere of which the people of Argentina can be rightly proud." Rumsfeld's trip, which took him to Brazil later on Tuesday, is a sign of growing U.S. concern about Latin America. Washington fears that al Qaeda or other terrorists will infiltrate the United States from the south. In Brazil, Rumsfeld will visit a new radar site for controlling airspace over the vast Amazon region and he discussed new technologies for Argentine airspace control. Some U.S. officials also worry about a shift to the political left in recent years -- including among the leaders of Brazil, Argentina and Venezuela -- which has meant that more governments are openly critical of Bush administration policies. Rumsfeld said this shift to the political left was not a surprise. "I guess I'm not surprised," he said aboard his aircraft en route from Argentina to Brazil on a Latin American trip. "I haven't thought it through clearly," "You can have democratic governments that are over to the left. Democratic governments that are over to the right - somewhere in that range," he said. SMALL PROTESTS Anti-U.S. sentiment has been strong throughout the region since the U.S.-led attacks on Iraq. Hours before Rumsfeld's visit, small groups of protesters smashed a window of a Citibank branch in Buenos Aires, burned the U.S. flag and spray-painted "Yankee Go Home" across the city's walls. Left-leaning Argentine President Nestor Kirchner, in office since May 2003, opposed the Iraq war. But the United States is anxious to show its gratitude for the leadership by Brazil and Argentina in the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Haiti. Fears of escalating violence in Haiti leading up to November elections have led to calls for more funding for peacekeeping efforts. � Reuters 2005. 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