The measures President Rodríguez Saá is taking seem to palliate the current crisis but fail to hold a long-term perspective...

The thing is that the crisis that toppled former President De la Rúa is still boiling over and they still haven’t found a way to revert it. However, as you say, there is the need for a long term perspective, which apart from linking Argentina to the international community again, breaks the current isolation that causes the inevitable suspension of payments on the public debt. Just because of that, in order to face this crisis, Argentina needs to set up a new government credible enough to show it is prepared to rule until 2003 and based on a long-term view linked to the global trend.

Do you think the rise of the new currency prone to circulate in a few days, economic uncertainty harassing people will be placated?

Today, the core of the economic crisis lies on the stagnation of the financial system linked to the fact that we have been hit by a 42-month recession that is taking a strong thrust downwards and forces a solution, which should at the same time feature qualities of urgency and appear as a long-term fix. The third currency is a weapon to face the emergency but a very risky one as long as it is not convertible, lacking foreign currency, whose value will depend on the market forces. Under these conditions, except that it is a highly controlled issuance and of relatively reduced scope, the possibility for it to trigger devaluation and inflation is plain to see.

How do you think neighboring countries will react?

Argentina has a double involvement in the region. For one, the regional integration of the Mercosur. For another, within this framework, a strategic alliance with Brazil. Brazil, the United States and Europe and in Europe, Spain, are highly interested in finding a way to help Argentina in this critical time. To that end, two conditions are spelled out: first, restoring a reliable political power with a reasonable perspective to exert power –forcefully leading us to December 2003- and second, that once the Argentine government consolidates the political power, it puts through a sustainable economic plan related to worldwide trends reverting the already mentioned isolation that hits the financial field mainly.

With a country-risk rate over 5300 points and with the recent events in relation to the IMF, what will be the reaction of international financial organizations?

Argentina’s problem is a total credibility crisis both domestic and foreign, which was the last straw to force De la Rúa out of power and put an end to the violent social unrest and citizens’ demonstration launched in the country a few days ago. The point is, as I was saying, to restore a sound political power that does not stem from a narrow perspective of for instance 60 days but with a term to 2003 and at the same time that comes up with a sustainable economic plan.

Do you think Rodríguez Saá will stay in power until 2003?

There is a decision made by the Legislative Assembly but facts are also imposing their own logic and so I think they show the prevailing certainty of what is convenient for the national interest, for the country that the President elected by the Legislative Assembly fulfills what he was entrusted upon: the vacant office after De la Rúa’s resignation.