Argentina to pay all creditors in Buenos Aires

BUENOS AIRES, Aug 21 : Argentina said Wednesday it will pay all its creditors in Buenos Aires, seeking to circumvent a US court order barring it from repaying the debt it restructured after its 2001 default. The move aims to work around US District Court Judge Thomas Griesa's ruling in favor of two hedge funds that refuse to accept a write-down, which has blocked Argentina from servicing its restructured debt and forced it into a new default. But it is unlikely to resolve the country's dispute with the two American hedge funds, NML Capital and Aurelius Capital Management, which Argentina calls "vulture funds" for buying up its defaulted bonds at pennies on the dollar and suing for full payment of $1.3 billion. Under the plan, which President Cristina Kirchner has sent to congress for approval, Argentina would replace Bank of New York Mellon, the bank responsible for transferring its debt payments to creditors, with Argentine state-run Banco Nacion Trust.     — AFP