Argentine President Target of Assassination Attempt; Kirchner Reply's Optimistically from Presidential Palace

May 2 (EIRNS)--On April 28, a hijacked truck driven by one Jose Walter Mansilla crashed only a few meters away from the residence of Argentine President Nestor Kirchner in the city of Rio Gallegos, in the province of Santa Cruz, following a crazed drive through several city blocks in which he damaged ten cars and injured six people, one of them critically. Although Kirchner was not present at his residence at the time, other members of his family were, but fortunately were not harmed.

Countering claims by the President's political opposition that this was an "accident" carried out by a single deranged individual, Interior Minister Anibal Fernandez told Radio America April 29 that police investigators who raided Mansilla's house following the crash, found drawings of Kirchner's residence. "This was no insane individual...this was not an accident," the Minister stated, reporting that during police interrogation, Mansilla himself had declared, "you know, there are two political bands, and `that Nazi' (Kirchner)has to be eliminated." This was a premeditated attack, he emphasized, adding that authorities are also investigating whether more than one person were involved.

In an April 30 speech from the Presidential Palace in Buenos Aires, Kirchner also debunked the idea that this was an accident, locating the incident in a broader strategic context;

"I am threatened daily...all the time, for many reasons," he said. Why? "Because I delve into a lot of issues that no one has touched for a long time, and you know how those interests react when someone bothers them." For example, he said, "I know that when you talk about neo liberalism, or say you don't want concentration of wealth, or mention that there are some companies that are too strong and have a dominant position, and when you get tough with them, well, often there are interests that move in consonance with each other."

Kirchner warned his audience;

"I am not afraid of anything, although I do naturally have the fears that all Christians have...but I'm not afraid because I know what responsibilities I took on when people gave me the mandate to be their President...And I tell you to continue transforming Argentina, continue to build our industrial Argentina, to end indigence, poverty and unemployment, continue expanding industry to all of Argentina, and continue with all our strength to achieve productive transformation, and build the country for everyone, not just for some corporate sector, but for everyone so that among us all, we shall have the ability to carry out a permanent correction." The Argentine President told his audience that "with all my limitations, I can guarantee you that I'm doing everything I can, day by day, hour by hour, and I feel truly happy."