US reiterates 'commitment to respect the Argentine law'

The US State Department released a press statement detailing the content of the cargo seized by local authorities in the US Air Force plane case, and said that despite a “discrepancy regarding the serial number of one of the weapons, the quantity and type of weapon was consistent with the official manifest” provided to Argentine officials.

“The US government approached all elements of the hostage-rescue training program with a clear commitment to respect applicable Argentine law, in accordance with the procedures and precedent established through bilateral diplomatic dialogue.

The press releases says that in previous discussions regarding the course. “the issue of non-serialized replacement barrels for three machine guns to be used in live-fire training was raised by US officials with the local counterparts.”

“At that time, Argentine National Registry of Arms (RENAR) officials agreed that each of those machine guns and their replacement components would be considered one weapon system for purposes of the manifest,” the statement reads.

It also mentions a “discrepancy” regarding the declared weapons on the official list provided to local officials.

“Numerals contained in the serial number of one of the weapons were transposed. However, the quantity and type of weapon was consistent with the official manifest,” the document states.

Regarding the morphine and other first-aid items seize, the US State Department says they were not declared since “based on precedent established during previous joint-training events involving US and Argentine personnel,” that was never done.

The document states that the rest of the undeclared material seized by local authorities is comprised of “Meals Ready to Eat (MREs), batteries, clothing, office supplies, coolers for beverages, folding chairs, candy, and the US team members’ personal gear.”