Waging Peace:  Argentina

Exploring a Hemispheric Agenda

Carter Center representatives met with officials in Argentina as part of a fact-finding tour Jan. 15-26, 1997, to prepare for the consultation "Agenda for the Americas for the 21st Century." The delegation included former U.S. President Jimmy Carter; Rosalynn Carter; Dr. Robert Pastor, then director of the Center's Americas Program; and Dr. Jennifer McCoy, current director.  Meetings were held with Argentina President Carlos Menem and other government officials. The mission, which included stops in Brazil, Chile, and Jamaica, helped to set the agenda for discussions at the April 1997 consultation.  Vice President Carlos Federico Ruckauf and Rodolfo Terragno, then president of the national committee of the Unión Cívica Radical Party, participated in the consultation in Atlanta.

Urging a Moratorium on Arms Sales

Although Latin America spends relatively less on defense than most other regions, expenditures on expensive weapons systems divert scarce foreign exchange from more effective investments, including education. They also compel neighbors to spend more on defense and, by doing so, generate international tensions. Concerned about an arms race in Latin America, the Carter Center's Council of Presidents and Prime Ministers of the Americas urged governments in the region to pause before embarking on major arms purchases. Between April 1997 and March 1998, 28 current heads of government and 14 former heads of government signed a written pledge to accept a moratorium of two years on purchasing sophisticated weapons. Among the signatories was former Argentina President Raúl Alfonsín.

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