02/08/2020 - 17:49
- Clarín.com
- Politics
President Alberto Fernández had to explain again what is the role of Cristina Fernández de Kirchner in his Government before the consultation of Le Monde, the prestigious French media, who interviewed him during his official tour of Europe.
"He does not make any decision, but I consult him a lot . He was president for 8 years; it is of a singular intelligence and I do not want to deprive myself of his experience," the Head of State replied when asked about Cristina Kirchner's level of interference.
Fernández also defended his intention to legalize abortion, beyond the malaise that was generated in the Vatican. "The Pope has known my position for a long time," he said, and then said: "I am a Catholic, but we must separate abortion from the religious sphere."
"This is not a measure against the Church, but in favor of women's rights and public health," Fernández reiterated.
Regarding the debt negotiations, the Head of State reiterated that his intention is to pay, but after taking "time to rebuild" the economy. And he again warned that the country borrowed at "an unusual speed, in incredible amounts" and with the commitment to return what was borrowed "in record time."
Fernández pondered the results of his official tour of five countries in Europe by considering his objectives "fulfilled".
"One of the objectives was to ask for help to solve the serious debt problem. The country became indebted at an unusual rate, an incredible amount, and the most unusual thing is that it promised to pay in record time. What I ask is not outrageous. , my message was: I will pay the debt, but I will have time to rebuild our economy. And I received massive support from my interlocutors, "he said.
In the interview, Fernández also regretted that Congress "was not consulted" on the indebtedness process by the administration of Mauricio Macri, which, however, "was a democratic government, since it was elected by the people."
"I could also tell the creditors: 'You knew you were getting into trouble when you invested in a security with an interest rate of 8%, even though it was 0% worldwide. When alms are disproportionate, even the saint distrusts, "he said.
Even so, he judged that one cannot "ask the world of financial speculation to have that kind of reflection", beyond that "it was clear that Argentina could not pay because the economy was in recession."
"But the legitimacy of the authority that contracted this debt cannot be questioned, so it must be addressed," he said in the interview that was titled: "Allow me time to rebuild the Argentine economy."
The president also denounced that the situation of hunger in Argentina was part of a "hidden reality" by the Macri administration.