Argentine President Carlos Menem said on November 3 that his government would reject the eventual request of Spanish judge Baltazar Garzon to extradite Argentine military personnel.

In a statement to a local radio station, Menem said that this judge "is acting like the starlet of the whole world, it is totally out of the question, out of place and with these type of acts, is invading or damaging the sovereignty of various countries."

Judge Baltazar Garzon behind the arrest of Pinochet issued international arrest warrants Tuesday for Argentina's former military rulers, charging them with "dirty war" atrocities.

Referring to the judge's previous acts, in the case of Augusto Pinochet, Chile's former leader, Menem stressed that he was not defending Pinochet, but Chile.

Menem added that he would refuse any request just before the entry of the new government, which takes place on December 10.

Argentine Interior Minister Carlos Corach Wednesday described as a "media show" the acts being carried out by a judge who wishes to play at the politics of human rights at the expense of Latin American countries.

Corach said that the Argentine government had an absolutely clear position with respect to the topic, insisting that territoriality was a historical principle in international relations.

Menem canceled his attendance of the Ninth Ibero-American Summit, which will take place on Nov. 15-16 in Havana, in solidarity with his Chilean counterpart, Eduardo Frei, who also changed his plan to attend the meeting due to the Pinochet case.