Minister Boudou’s comments are, of course, false and  irresponsible; but I imagine he’s under a great deal of pressure in Rome at this time, trying to persuade Italian pensioners to accept only 25 percent of what the Argentine government owes them, after they lent Argentina part of their life savings a decade ago, when Argentina needed it.   If he or the Argentine Ambassador to the U.S. had ever met with me or others from the American Task Force Argentina, they would know that we are a coalition of nearly 40 diverse organizations representing taxpayers, educators, agriculture and finance.  We come together out of sincere concerns about the impact of Argentina’s record default, dismal restructuring and debt repudiations that have been held to be illegal in courts around the world.  I suggest he refer to the list of our member groups, at www.atfa.org.  

 

ATFA is co-chaired by myself, a principal economic advisor to Bill Clinton in his campaign, former Under Secretary of Commerce in the Clinton Administration, and an advisor to the campaign and presidential transition of Barack Obama.  My co-chair is the Honorable Nancy Soderberg, Ambassador at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in New York from 1997 to 2001, and our Executive Director is Robert Raben, former Assistant Attorney General in the U.S. Department of Justice under President Clinton.