Argentina is preparing a formal protest to the United States after intercepting what it says was a consignment of arms, drugs, codes and communications interception equipment hidden on a U.S. military aircraft carrying materials for a police training course.
The diplomatic row compounds Argentinian anger that Barack Obama, the U.S. president, left Buenos Aires off his first official South American visit, scheduled to take in El Salvador, Chile and Brazil next month. It also follows a string of critical U.S. diplomatic cables leaked by WikiLeaks, the whistle-blowing website.
Washington reacted angrily to the surprise seizure of nearly 1,000 cubic feet of what Argentina is calling "sensitive material" on Thursday, saying the aircraft and its cargo had been authorized.
According to the Argentinian foreign ministry, a "good faith" manifest of the cargo provided beforehand by the U.S. authorities did not match the material on board. The ministry said it acted "with the seriousness and professionalism that material classified as bellicose merits".
The United States said it provided information in accordance with discussions and prior understanding but had to submit to a prolonged search and the seizure of some material.
Argentina retorted late on Sunday that the U.S. version of events "contains a series of inexact statements and omissions". Washington has called in the Argentinian ambassador and Buenos Aires said it would lodge a formal protest.
Argentina said it would investigate why the United States tried to "violate Argentine law by bringing in material camouflaged inside an official cargo from the United States," according to a statement on the presidential website.
The South American country said no explanation was given in telephone contacts between Héctor Timerman, its foreign minister, and Arturo Valenzuela, the U.S. assistant secretary of state for western hemisphere affairs. The foreign ministry said that Mr Timerman told Mr Valenzuela: "Argentine law must be obeyed by everyone, without exception."
It said a similar attempt by the United States to "bring in a consignment of arms avoiding customs controls" was made in August, although nothing was seized and the airplane and its cargo were allowed to leave.
The aircraft involved in Thursday's incident, which flew into Ezeiza airport, has left and the security course for the federal police force has been cancelled. But the material which Argentina said the United States was hiding on board remains impounded. The United States said all the material was routine for a security course of this type, which involved training in hostage situations, and requested that it be returned immediately.
No further comment was immediately available from the U.S. State Department or the U.S. Embassy in Buenos Aires.
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