Foreign Office rejects aid from US vessel to tackle illegal fishing



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After several twists and turns, internal differences but also counterpoints with the American government, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a press release on Friday in which it marked its limits to Operation Southern Cross as the USCGC stone of the States Coast Guard ship. United are in the South Atlantic and that will bring him back to the coast of Argentina.

The text of the Argentine note indicates that the vessel He will enter the port of Mar del Plata in February for a “strictly protocol” visit.

The clarifications and discussions in recent days between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Security, as well as those held with the United States Embassy in Buenos Aires highlight the sensitivity of cooperation in the field of defense and security within the Kirchner government coalition. with Washington, also taking into account that they object of clashes between the administrations of Cristina Kirchner and Barak Obama. Another is the relationship you seek to have Alberto Fernández with Joseph Biden, who takes office on January 20.

In addition, sectors associated with Christianity have always kept in step with Caracas as the United States intends to use its fleet of Southern Command – which is managed by the Department of Defense unlike the Stone, which is from the Coast Guard – for Armed “interventions” in Venezuela.

The patrol that will mount the USCGC Stone is the first of its kind at the regional level and, according to official websites in the United States, it targets illegal activities on the high seas. In addition, it has also been reported that one of its objectives is deterrence against illegal fishing qwhich mainly comes from Chinese ships, at least in this area ..

Bugle He learned from industry sources that the United States had offered to jointly patrol illegal fishing with the South Atlantic Prefecture, but that the political order was only to accept the courtesy visit to Mar del Pata. . The Minister of Security also faced the illusion of the prefecture of having common illusions, which aborted the most ideological sectors of the political domain of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. And take care of the negotiations being held with Beijing to reach a fisheries agreement.

The statements from the Foreign Office and the State Department released today are not out of place, but they are not the same.

The one from Argentina says that the United States government reported the navigation of this latest generation vessel between January and February, and that it asked the USCGC Stone to make a “visit” to a port, committing to abide by protocols on the coronavirus pandemic, which include the safety of crew and personnel in the port.

“The Argentine government has accepted the visit of USCGC Stone with its counterpart to our country, the Argentine Naval Prefecture, which will take place in the port of Mar del Plata in February. This activity will be of a strictly formal nature, ”said the ministry headed by Foreign Minister Felipe Solá.

They warned that the visit “Does not include any operational or cooperative activity“. Therefore – they warned -” this will not involve missions of surveillance or control of fishing, which are carried out exclusively with the means and personnel of the Argentine State whose function is to protect our sovereignty and our resources in national maritime areas which last year captured three illegal foreign fishing vessels, a figure that had not been reached since 2005. “

The State Department statement said the operation was part of its “efforts to create regional maritime safety associations. combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing in the South Atlantic.

He reviewed some “joint patrols” – which the Argentine government does not want to do – in Guyana, Rio de Janeiro and Salvador de Bahia.

And he mentions his stop “further south”, in Mar del Plata, “for a welcoming ceremony by the sister service of the coast guard, the Argentine naval prefecture before the ship’s return”.

The US statement said it had an observer from the Portuguese Navy, and that during its passage in the Caribbean, it intercepted a high-speed vessel carrying 900 kilos of cocaine in the south of the Dominican Republic.

“The United States is a world leader in efforts to combat IUU fishing (illegal, unreported and unregulated), including through work in multilateral institutions to strengthen the rules governing fishing. international and bilateral engagement with States. coastal, port and merchant markets around the world, ”the statement said without referring to other countries, as did the United States Naval Institute, which mentioned the illegal activities of Chinese ships in the region, which are targeted by United States.

“The value of global capture fish production in 2018 was over $ 151,000 million,” said the US statement, which urged states to work together under agreements governing the orbit of the UN. And he recalled that illegal fishing causes loss of billions of dollars, in addition to exploding global food security and the economic security of coastal states. And it violates state sovereignty by undermining international agreements and fisheries conservation measures.

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