April 8, 2024 (EIRNS)—Legislators from the Peronist Union for the Fatherland (UP) coalition are warning that any plan by the Argentine government to build a naval base with the U.S. in the southernmost city of Ushuaia in the province of Tierra del Fuego will require Congressional approval. They are also demanding that Defense Minister Luis Petri appear before Congress to explain the details of the proposed joint project.
As reported by Página 12 today, UP Sen. Juliana di Tullio asked: “I’d like to know who is going to approve a law to install an integrated naval base flying another country’s flag in our country and grant the jurisdictional immunity to its soldiers. I remain on alert and am vigilant.” Tierra del Fuego Sen. Cristina López is demanding Petri explain how a project that was originally proposed by the Argentine Navy and approved by then-President Alberto Fernández in 2022 with federal financing, is now to become a joint project with the U.S. “which is an ally of the United Kingdom within NATO.” By April of 2023, construction of the Argentine naval base was already well underway.