- Title: Thousands of Argentines protest against possible IMF debt deal
- Date: 12th December 2021
- Summary: BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA (DECEMBER 11, 2021) (REUTERS) DEMONSTRATORS MARCHING WITH BANNER THAT READS: (Spanish) ''BREAK WITH IMF, NOT WITH THE PAYMENT OF THE DEBT'' VARIOUS OF PEOPLE MARCHING IN STREETS WITH FLAGS GENERAL OF MARCH LAWMAKER, MYRIAM BREGMAN, DURING PROTEST (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) LEFTIST LAWMAKER, MYRIAM BREGMAN, SAYING: ''Today we are protesting against the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and against measures that will affect the Argentine worker. As we have seen in other parts of the world, as we have seen in our country's history, there is no agreement with the Fund without adjustments. So this protest is the beginning of a series of movements and actions we will do to reject whichever agreement our country and (Argentine President) Alberto Fernandez signs with the Fund.'' VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS MARCHING TOWARDS PLAZA DE MAYO AGAINST POSSIBLE IMF DEAL DEMONSTRATORS WITH BANNERS THAT READ (Spanish) ''NO TO A PACT WITH THE IMF AND NO TO THE PAYMENT OF THE DEBT'' GENERAL OF PROTEST, BANNER HELD UP THAT READS (Spanish) ''LABOUR PARTY'' VARIOUS OF DEMONSTRATORS BANGING ON DRUMS PROTESTERS WITH BANNER THAT READS (Spanish) ''TO BREAK WITH THE IMF, NO TO PAYMENT OF DEBT'' VARIOUS OF SIGNS / BANNERS BEING HELD UP LEFTIST ACTIVIST, CELESTE FIERRO, GREETING PROTESTERS (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) LEFTIST ACTIVIST, CELESTE FIERRO, SAYING: ''We are days away from a new payment being made, which this year will represent 5 thousand million dollars for the payment of a scam and months away from an agreement to be made to pay the debt agreed by Macri's (former Argentine Mauricio Macri) and that the government denounced at the time and will now respect despite the people's needs. We are about to walk into the plaza (Plaza de Mayo) to demand the debt not be paid, despite adjustments and people's suffering. We must break with the IMF, refuse to pay the debt and allocate those thousands and millions (of dollars) to solve the social and economic problems that exist in our country." VARIOUS OF THOUSANDS MARCHING VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS GATHERED / OBELISK MONUMENT IN BACKGROUND
- Embargoed: 26th December 2021 01:49
- Keywords: Argentina Buenos Aires IMF deal march protest
- Location: BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA
- City: BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA
- Country: Argentina
- Topics: South America / Central America,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA002F7QE7NR
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:Thousands of Argentines flocked to the streets of Buenos Aires on Saturday (December 11) to reject a possible agreement between the Argentine government and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) which would refinance multimillion-dollar debts with the institution.
Protesters marched through the streets towards Plaza de Mayo, holding banners that read: ''No to a pact with the IMF and no to the payment of the debt.''
Argentina is racing to agree a new deal with the IMF to help push back some $45 billion in repayments it cannot make after years of debt and currency crises. A team had recently met with fund staff and "advanced technical work" on the deal.
"There were general understandings on the need to gradually and sustainably improve public finances, while allowing for much-needed infrastructure, technology, and targeted social spending," the IMF said in a statement.
It said Argentina needed a "multi-pronged approach" to tackle rampant inflation, running at over 50% annually, which would involve reducing monetary financing of the fiscal deficit, positive real interest rates, and wage-price coordination.
The two sides have been locked in talks for over a year, but hopes have grown recently about a deal and agreement over a medium-term economic plan, key to restoring the South American nation's credibility with markets.
(Production: Juan Bustamante, Horacio Soria, Geraldine Downer) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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