ARGENTINA: Arms Selling Minister Ducks Out

By Marcela Valente Reprint | | Print |

Marcela Valente

BUENOS AIRES, Jul 17 1996 (IPS) - Argentina’s Defence Minister Oscar Camilion resigned “of his own free will” Wednesday, when the courts called for his expulsion from Congress pending investigations into his part in illegal arms sales to Ecuador.

After 17 months of local and international pressure, hounding from reporters and the justice deparment, Camilion preferred to change colour and disappear rather than face a political trial – though he will remain in the post until a replacement is found.

Argentina’s president, Carlos Menem said last week that Camilion would remain in his post “until justice decides,” but less that a week later he was gone.

The cold of the Buenos Aires winter is causing ministers to fall like flies this year, with the Defence Minister’s resignation coming only six days after Justice Minister Rodolfo Barra left following revelations of his antisemitic past.

The opposition Radical Civic Union, one of the leading parties, had been calling for Camilion to be ousted, but they have now changed their tune, and want him to stay on and face the music.

They fear he may have “negotiated his immunity” with the Executive Power and would prefer him to face trial before parliament.

Miguel Toma, of the ruling Justicialist Party said no agreement had been made to provide Camilion with “political cover,” but fears are still rife that he may be covering for other members of the government.

In fact, he was officially accused of complicity following his own declarations to Congress, as it is beleived he knows the names of several other people involved.

The judgement was also based on statements made by Commander in Chief of the Army, Juan Paulik, who had warned Camilion of the danger that a third consignment to be shipped to Venezuela was being diverted to Ecuador, but the minister dismissed it as a rumour.

The other leading opposition force, the centre left National Solidarity Front (Frepaso), said it was happy with his resignation and rejected the call for the minister to stay in place and face trial.

“Its an embarrassment for the Latin American nations and particularly for Peru, that Camilion should continue in the post,” said Frepaso leader, Carlos Alvarez.

The sale of 8,000 FAL rifles and 75 tons of munitions to Ecuador during the undeclared war with Peru in early 1995 was a violation of an international embargo, and also and affront to the 1942 Rio Protocol, where Argentina was guarantor of the peace between Ecuador and Peru.

The latter nation also offered Argentina support in the war against Britain in the Falkland Islands.

So far, three employees of the Military run, State owned, Military Fabrications company have been tried for their part in the illegal arms deals.

One of these, Luis Sarlenga, was a businessman who had worked with Menem in his home province, La Rioja.

A former secretary of Camilion revealed earlier this year that his boss had called for Sarlenga’s resignation in 1994 as he suspected the official of irregularities.

However, according to Buenos Aires daily ‘Pagina 12,’ a telephone call from the President’s brother Eduardo Menem stopped the Defence Minister from taking further action.

Meanwhile, the intermediary in the operation, retired colonel Diego Palleros declared from his hidey-hole in Singapore that the highest political authorities, “even above the Minister of Defence,” were also aware the dealing had gone on.

Palleros said his company had been due to pay a 400,000 dollar illegal commission to a businessman from Rioja closely linked to the Presidency, and legal sources who asked to remain anonymous said the recipient was probably Emir Yoma, the president’s former brother in law.

It is therefore patently clear that while some see Camilion’s resignation as the end of the tale, others are aware that something even bigger has only just begun.