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Cassandra Garrison,
Walter Bianchi. Reuters. January 7, 2020
BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - In a blow to Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido,
Argentina’s government said on Tuesday it did not recognize him as his nation’s
interim president and had revoked the credentials of his representative in
Buenos Aires.
The new administration of Argentina’s center-left President Alberto Fernandez
sent a letter to Elisa Trotta Gamus, who represented Guaido in Argentina, to
notify her that her “special mission” in Argentina had been terminated.
In April, diplomatic credentials were delivered to Trotta by the Argentine
Foreign Ministry under right-leaning former President Mauricio Macri.
Argentina, which already had a diplomatic mission from the government of
President Nicolas Maduro, recognized Guaido as Venezuela’s interim president
last year.
“She was under the special mission format that the previous administration had
given her, not as a formal ambassador of Venezuela. We do not recognize Guaido
as president, but as a leader of the opposition, and based on that, we consider
that there is no special representation mission,” a spokesman for the Argentine
Foreign Ministry said.
Trotta, in a statement shared with Reuters, said she hoped Argentina would
continue to denounce human rights violations in Venezuela.
“We respect the sovereign decisions of Argentina. We are open to all kinds of
conversations and dialogues that may arise with the Argentine Government with
the objective of contributing to the recovery of democracy in Venezuela,” the
statement said.
Guaido was elected head of the congress in January 2019 and invoked Venezuela’s
constitution to assume an interim presidency, denouncing Maduro as a usurper
who had secured re-election in a 2018 vote widely considered fraudulent. The
U.S.-backed opposition leader has been recognized by more than 50 countries as
Venezuela’s legitimate leader but has struggled to maintain support as Maduro
fends off his challenge.
Fernandez, who took office on Dec. 10, has been cautious with his stance over
the Maduro government though he has emphasized ties with other leftist
politicians in the region including Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez
Obrador, Bolivia’s unseated leader, Evo Morales, and former Brazilian leader
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
His vice president, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, was close with Maduro at
the end of her 2007-2015 twin terms.
Josefina Salomon.
Reuters. January 7, 2020
BUENOS AIRES (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Standing next to his self-built
home reached by a steep ladder in a Buenos Aires slum, resident Miguel Romero
is skeptical about the future despite ambitious government plans to improve the
oldest shanty area in Argentina’s capital.
“I built this home 11 years ago with good materials,” Romero, a former builder
turned taxi driver, said of his brick two-bedroom house.
City authorities have invested millions of dollars to develop and improve the
sprawling Villa 31 slum in the heart of Buenos Aires.
Home to about 43,000 people, the informal settlement stands in sharp contrast
to the city’s most affluent residential neighborhoods with French-inspired
architecture and clean, leafy streets just a short walk away.
Over the past decades, Villa 31 has become a symbol of the deep divide between
rich and poor, along with the challenges that come with urban development and
improving the lives of people living in informal settlements.
The brightly painted green and pink three-storey buildings of Villa 31 have
been expanding under the threat of eviction since the first families moved here
in the 1930s.
But in the past four years, city hall and government authorities have invested
in projects to give formal land titles to local residents.
Other investments include connecting some homes to sewage, water and
electricity systems, and building new houses, a school and several playgrounds
and football pitches.
Several new government offices are also set to move into the area, including
the soon to be inaugurated ministry of education, as well as a McDonald’s
fast-food restaurant which is expected to employ about 80 residents in early
2020.
MORE CONSULTATION
Yet Romero and other local residents, many of them poor immigrants from
neighboring Paraguay and Bolivia, are not sold on the renewal plans.
Some Villa 31 residents say they have not been properly consulted in decisions
about the area’s development and their needs have not been taken into account.
They fear development projects are going to push those with fewer resources out
of the area which sits on prime real estate in one of Buenos Aires’ most
expensive areas.
Signs of such concerns and discontent became apparent during the general and
local elections in October last year.
Only 20% of Villa 31 residents voted for Buenos Aires mayor Horacio Rodriguez
Larreta - the name and face behind the urban renewal drive.
Back in 2016, city authorities offered Romero and his family a bright new
apartment, a few blocks away from his existing home. He declined.
“The new homes aren’t built as well, and they are too far away, so we’re not
leaving,” 43-year-old Romero said.
The government should make more efforts to consult with them when it comes to
deciding on what they need amid Argentina’s deteriorating economy, many
residents said.
They want a balance between immediate and longterm needs, like jobs, healthcare
and education.
According to urban experts, authorities prioritized fast development instead of
reaching a consensus about development plans for the area, and the project
lacks an overall vision.
“Many residents feel they weren’t included in the decision-making process. This
level of uncertainty generated a lot of problems, fear and distrust. Many say
this has been a lost opportunity,” said Pablo Vitale, co-director of the Civil
Association for Equality and Justice, an Argentine human rights group.
But city authorities say efforts have been made to improve Villa 31 beyond just
building new homes and connect it with the rest of the city.
“The project isn’t just about homes,” said Juan Salari, an official from the
Buenos Aires sub-secretariat of infrastructure.
“This is about integration and transformation. The idea is for the Villa 31 to
be like any other neighborhood. We want to break with the idea of the ghetto,”
he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
CONSTRUCTION BOOM
The narrow streets of Villa 31 are filled with cranes and construction workers
as they build new buildings and homes.
Tall fences guard newly finished projects, with large banners displaying
“before and after” photos to show, and remind, locals of the progress made so
far.
About 800 apartments built in warehouse-style buildings four storeys high are
meant to house families who have been living under a busy highway.
So far, 150 families have moved into the new apartments, after signing
30-year-long mortgages with monthly payments based on their income.
Authorities have also built some 126 additional homes in another part of the
settlement for people who lost their homes after new development projects
began.
To pay for their new properties, the residents’ current homes have been valued
and will serve as partial payments for the new ones, officials say.
But some residents are wary of signing such contracts, a rarity in Argentina
where long mortgages are practically non-existent because of ever-fluctuating interest
and inflation rates.
“I saw the new apartments. They are very nice but they don’t look stable and
it’s too far for people to get to. I’m staying here, although we don’t know
what’s going to happen to us,” said local resident Rocio Martinez, who runs a
clothes stall.
City official Salari said if families cannot make their mortgage payments – a
scenario many fear in a country with nearly 45% annual inflation and high
unemployment - then authorities will step in with solutions.
“We work with residents and we’re always negotiating. It’s challenging,” Salari
said.
“People are anxious because of the economic situation and that’s
understandable,” he said.
According to Barbara Bonelli, an official at the Buenos Aires Ombudsman’s
office, much of the fear stems from long-standing mistrust between residents
and authorities.
“For many years, residents of Villa 31 felt abandoned,” Bonelli said.
“It’s a very large and heterogeneous community with many different political
parties involved, so it’s often hard to reach agreements,” she said.
For Alejandro Maccio, a 25-year-old local resident and health promoter, urban
renewal must develop alongside providing more job opportunities and better
education.
“If you look at the money the government has invested, we should be a lot
better off. The question is: why isn’t that happening?,” said Maccio.
“People here work and study very hard to try and improve their lives. Why
doesn’t anybody invest in that?” he said.
