Influential Argentine politician warns of civil war risk
( 2002-01-13 09:54 ) (7 )

An Argentine senator, who was briefly caretaker president last month, warned Saturday that the country would face civil war if the government failed to solve the country's deep economic crisis.

"I see no other outcome than civil war if this collapses," said Ramon Puerta, of the ruling Peronist party.

He criticized former President Carlos Menem, also a Peronist, for publicly attacking Duhalde at a time when the stakes were so high.

Menem took out an advertisement in a Buenos Aires newspaper this week to denounce Duhalde's anti-crisis plan.

Duhalde, the fifth president since December, has done away with the peso-dollar parity that Menem had launched in 1991.

"Unfortunately, this is the last chance," Puerta told Argentina's La Red radio.

Puerta was Senate leader until last month and acted as caretaker president for two days after then-president Fernando de la Rua resigned on December 20 at the height of violent riots.

The senator handed power to Adolfo Rodriguez Saa, who himself was briefly replaced by a lawmaker, who in turn handed over to Duhalde on January 1.

Meanwhile, a former army chief said Argentina was "worse off than in a war economy," but stressed the armed forces had no intention to regain the power they held from 1976 to 1983.

Retired general Martin Balza welcomed the fact that the military did not intervene during the protests that led to de la Rua's resignation.

"That is very healthy because it is the first time a government is ousted without military intervention, without a tank in the streets," he told La Red.

He said those responsible for the crisis should be punished.

"There are some thugs who stole our future, and there are some who must face justice," he said, singling out former economy minister Domingo Cavallo "who played a key role in the illegal sale of weapons" to Ecuador and Croatia.

Balza himself spent six months in jail for his alleged role in the weapons scandal in which Menem also is implicated.