US government 'puzzled, disturbed,' by local officials' actions in plane case

BuenosAiresHerald.com exclusive.- As bilateral relations between the US and Argentina remain tense after the local authorities seized “sensitive material” from a US Air Force plane that landed in the country last Thursday, the US State Department has addressed the controversy, calling the government’s actions “puzzling and disturbing.”

The material seized from the plane’s cargo included “software, security information, weapons and narcotics,” all elements that according to the local government, had not been authorized or listed by the US government.

The cargo, mostly weaponry and ammunition, was meant to be used in a training for officers from the Federal Police GEOF special operations group.

Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Arturo Valenzuela said that the way local authorities treated US personnel was “improper,” and said he was surprised the matter hadn’t been discussed in a more respectful way.”

He also said the US government would “ask for the seized material to be returned.”

“Unfortunately this has been blown out of proportion, when it should have been solved in a much more respectful way,” Mr. Valenzuela explained.

Regarding the material seized by local customs authorities, the secretary said that “what the planes usually carry are a large amount of equipment that has been previously discussed with Argentine officials,” and added that, after discovering certain discrepancies, the matter should have been discussed and resolved without these excessive accusations.

At the same time, Mr. Valenzuela said that “the US never intended to break any Argentine laws.”

“All we wanted was to perform some constructive, respectful joint work in an important area such as hostage-taking,” he said, adding that he was “saddened to see how the situation had escalated into excessive accusations.”

Earlier, a spokesperson for the US State Department had said that "the training had been previously arranged between US military experts and the Argentine Federal police and was approved by the government of Argentina’s Ministry of Security and the Foreign Affairs Ministry,” a spokesperson for the US State Department said.

Regarding the local government’s seizing of sensitive material, the State Department assured that they were taken after and “unusual and unannounced search of the aircraft’s cargo.”

“The actions taken by Argentine officials involved in this incident are puzzling and disturbing,” the State Department’s spokesperson said, adding that the material was inappropriately seized for which they are seeking explanations from the local government.

“Most of the equipment aboard the plane had been documented in advance and in accordance with Argentine laws and procedures and where there were minor discrepancies, those could have been resolved in consultation with customs officials. However, we were not given the opportunity to do so,” the spokesperson explained.

Regarding the alleged “communications equipment” seized by the government, sources said that they are material that “would normally be brought in during a training exercise of this nature.”

The US government has said they are seeking the “immediate” return of all items retained by the local government and announced that the training activity has now been cancelled.