New York, September 29 (Mercopress-RHC) –- U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for the Western Hemisphere, Roberta Jacobson, has said the bilateral relationship with Argentina is going through a “difficult period,” but stated the legal battle between that country and holdouts is not a “political problem” but a “judicial problem.”

 

During a press conference in New York following United Nations General Assembly activities, Jacobson said: “We don’t think the conflict [between Argentina and holdouts over the country’s national debt] is between our two governments. It’s something that has to be solved in court and it should not affect our bilateral relationship.”

Last week, the Argentinian government summoned the business attaché for the U.S. embassy in Buenos Aires, Kevin Sullivan, after he stated Argentina has to “get out of the default to re-gain economic growth perspectives.”

Foreign Minister Hector Timerman said sanctions will be applied if Sullivan’s behavior is repeated, because the government considers Argentina is not in default, as it has “honored its debt.”

Earlier, Timerman, speaking in Switzerland, played down the diplomatic tension that had increased with the United States and Germany as a consequence of the legal battle with the 'holdouts'.

Timerman at the same time again rejected statements made by Germany's Finance Minister Wolgang Schauble and reproduced by an ad recently published in Argentinian media and signed by the American Task Force Argentina group, which represents the 'holdouts'.