URUGUAY’S president has started an Argy-bargy — by branding his Argentinian
counterpart an “old hag”.
Argentina has made a formal protest over Jose Mujica’s remark about Cristina
Kirchner, 60.
Famously candid Mr Mujica did not know his microphone was on when he spoke
about Ms Kirchner — who has led recent sabre-rattling against Britain over
the Falklands.
He was heard telling a colleague before a press conference: “That old hag’s
worse than the cross-eyed one.”
The remark referred to Ms Kirchner’s late husband and former Argentinian
president Nestor Kirchner.
Mr Mujica, 77, said: “Cross-eyes was more of a politician, she’s just
stubborn.” He then went on to mock Ms Kirchner’s visit to Rome last month,
when she presented Pope Francis, who is from Argentina, with a flask to
drink traditional “mate” tea.
He said: “She actually went to the Pope, who has lived 77 years, to explain
what is tea and what is a thermal flask!”
Buenos Aires has made an official complaint to the Uruguayan government.
Foreign minister Hector Timerman called the comments “outrageous”. There is a
history of bad blood between the two South American countries. In 2007
Nestor Kirchner accused Uruguayan president Tabare Vazquez of “stabbing
Argentina in the back” after he re-started operations at a border pulp mill
that Argentina had blockaded.
And in 2002 Uruguayan president Jorge Batlle Ibanez accused Argentinians of
being “a bunch of thieves”.
b.perrin@the-sun.co.uk