Diplomacy Celebration and Concern

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There were fanfare and tributes aplenty in Washington last week as President Reagan paid homage to a distinguished South American guest, Argentine President Raul Alfonsin. There was also an exchange of sobering messages and differing perceptions. Above all, Alfonsin warned that the heartening tendency he represents, the return of democracy to Latin American nations, is too fragile to be taken for granted. As he put it, "Right next to hope, there is fear in Latin America, the fear that arises from the unsatisfied expectations of our peoples."

The contrast in tone was a recurring feature of Alfonsin's eight-day journey to the U.S., which included his first state visit to Washington since he took office in December 1983. For the White House, welcoming the Argentine President was a chance to salute the hemisphere's democratic transformation, of which Alfonsin, whose election ended nearly eight years of often brutal military dictatorship, is an apt illustration. It was also an opportunity to salve wounds left by U.S. support for Argentina's enemy, Britain, during the 1982 war over the Falkland Islands, which the Argentines call Las Malvinas.

Alfonsin's concern, however, was both more pressing and more serious: the worsening crisis Argentina faces in trying to cope with a $45 billion foreign debt and a towering 800% annual inflation rate. Thus the main item on Alfonsin's agenda was a plea for more money. He got a sympathetic hearing but apparently not much concrete satisfaction.

The difference in U.S. and Argentine preoccupations showed up plainly on the White House South Lawn, where President Reagan first met his visitor. After 21 guns banged out their salute and a fife and drum corps clad in Revolutionary War uniforms tweetled a welcome, Reagan declared that "the flame of liberty burns red-hot in Argentina." Taking note of Argentina's woes, Reagan advocated making "tough decisions" in the economic sphere, meaning austerity, as the best solution leading to recovery. Reagan also took the opportunity to extol his own hard-line policies in Central America, particularly vis-a-vis the leftist regime in Nicaragua. Said Reagan: "The free people of this hemisphere must not stand by and watch the Communist tyranny imposed on Nicaragua spread to the free lands of the Americas."

In reply the stocky, dignified Alfonsin cited the foreign-debt issue as "one of the biggest differences between our two countries" and told Reagan that overpowering economic problems "conspire against democratic systems." Nonetheless, Alfonsin noted that in conversations with U.S. leaders, "the subject of Nicaragua and Central America will not be absent." He added, in words similar to those he used two days later at a meeting with TIME editors (see box), "I am convinced that it is through dialogue that we will be able to reach peace."