Asociacion del Personal Técnico Aeronautico de la República Argentina

The Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero yesterday expressed his "trust" in the agreement that will lead to Aerolíneas Argentinas being handed over to the Argentine state.

Speaking at a press conference at the end of the Latin American Summit in El Salvador, he said, "If the question is if I trust in the relationship and joint work with the Argentine government, my answer is yes. Brief and clear." The company is owned by the Spanish Marsans group, and there is a disagreement over its valuation that has caused the takeover process to stall. The Argentine government and Marsans have failed to agree on the price. Congress must rubberstamp the deal and will have the last word on how much will be paid.

Rodríguez Zapatero offered reassurances yesterday that the business ties between the two countries are strong, despite this difficulty and the recent drops in Spanish markets after the announcement by President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner that she plans to nationalize pension funds.

He said, "during difficult times and less difficult times, there has always been open and positive dialogue between the governments of Spain and Argentina on business issues. Most of the issues debated have a solution and they are solved in the interest of both parties. I trust that this will be the case with Aerolíneas Argentinas " Fernández de Kirchner and Rodríguez Zapatero met on Thursday to discuss these very issues. Fernández de Kirchner has backed Spain's claim to attend the G20 summit in Washington on November 15 to debate the global financial crisis.

Meanwhile, Federal Planning Minister Julio De Vido confirmed yesterday that the government will not seek a third valuation of the Aerolíneas assets, nor is it considering expropriating the company.

dg ipsilon