MEXICO CITY — While on his way to the U.N., Argentina’s President Fernando de la Rua stopped in Mexico City and was immediately fending off questions about
another Argentine citizen who is currently in a Mexican jail. From the moment of his arrival late Monday here in Mexico City, De la Rua was confronted with the issue of an alleged criminal from Argentina's so-called
“Dirty War.”
Ricardo Miguel Cavallo has been in a Mexican jail for the past ten days awaiting possible extradition to Spain to face charges of murder and torture. The crimes were allegedly committed while he was a
naval captain in Argentina during the 1970s and early 1980’s.
Protesters, many of them citizens of Argentina who reside here in Mexico, greeted De la Rua at the airport and in a city plaza on Monday calling for
Cavallo to be extradited to Spain. For his part, the Argentine leader said the issue did not come up during his formal meetings on Tuesday with President Zedillo and with President-elect Fox.
He also emphasized that
Cavallo is not wanted for any crimes in Argentina at this time and that his nation will provide him with consular assistance under the established rules for such cases. Cavallo is protected from prosecution in his
homeland by a 1998 amnesty law. At the time of his arrest, on August 24, he was serving as director of Mexico’s private National Motor Vehicle Registry.
De la Rua has made clear his disapproval of Spain's attempt to
extradite Cavallo, saying he will defend Argentina’s territorial jurisdiction in the case.
Spanish Judge Baltazar Garzon is seeking the extradition of Cavallo to stand trial for violating the rights of Spanish
citizens during the time when Argentina was under military rule. He is the same Spanish judge who unsuccessfully pressed the case for extradition of former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet last year. The extradition
hearing here in Mexico is expected to begin later this week.
