Four Argentina Solidarity Campaign members, plus a member of Globalise Resistance, met yesterday 26 June to discuss strategies for campaigning against Horst Koehler's visit to Gordon Brown. Kohler is the Managing Director of the IMF. We decided to do a picket in Parliament Square, although we are waiting for Tony Benn's & Jeremy Corbyn's replies to confirm place & decide upon the time. We are also going to get in touch with some Trade Union representatives, who are involved with the situation in Argentina.

Kohler is to visit Gordon Brown in London on 4th July to discuss new insolvency rules. The IMF proposes that debtor nations may, in certain circumstances, declare themselves insolvent (i.e. unable to pay their creditors). The ray of hope for some in the debt-relief campaigns is that may mean some countries will not have to pay off all their debt to start afresh. BUT WAIT...
Firstly this only applies to Highly Indebted Poor Countries and Argentina is apparently rich (even though over half the population is existing below the poverty line and the IMF is demanding $73bn by January 2003, the equivalent of 27% of annual GDP - before the crisis - or 132% of annual exports). In fact the IMF's definition of poor is that a country has to curtail democratic and human rights in order to carry out austerity measures (i.e. this policy is a safety valve against popular uprisings and revolutions). Secondly, the IMF demands that it is the arbiter between creditors and debtors saying it is neutral. The IMF is of course not neutral as Argentina has got into this mess precisely because it followed the IMF's "medicine" to the letter and of course the IMF is the creation and tool of the creditor nations and banks. Thirdly, the IMF will not allow any civil society bodies (political parties, trade unions, NGOs, popular assemblies, etc.) to give evidence, even though they are the ones who can tell what can or cannot be afforded, etc.
So, the Argentine Solidarity campaign wants as many people as possible (GR, Trade Justice Movement, etc.) to support a picket of Horst's visit (he is also answering a House of Commons Select Committee, Jeremy Corbyn is finding out the details). It will be in Parliament Square. Anyone who wants to get more involved, please contact the ASC.
Watch this space!