Argentina calls on armed forces to join emergency rescue

BUENOS AIRES, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Argentine President Cristina Fernandez Wednesday announced the beginning of a "new stage" for the country's armed forces, calling on them to provide aid in cases of national emergencies or disasters.

Fernandez made the announcement at a ceremony marking the promotion of military officers in a military academy in the western suburbs of capital Buenos Aires.

Fernandez said she was confident that in this new stage, the country "will value past experiences, not to reproach each other, but to give rise to new solidarity."

"The reassignment of the armed forces is not formal but conceptual, and that is why we have created the Secretariat of Military Action for Emergencies," she added.

The government decided to involve the military in emergency rescue after witnessing the armed forces and thousands of mobilized volunteers helping affected residents in the massive floods that hit La Plata city in April.

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