Argentina marks Independence Day

BUENOS AIRES, May 25 (Xinhua) -- Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner opened on Tuesday the closing ceremony of celebrations marking the bicentenary of independence from Spain.

More than one million people participated in the celebrations Tuesday, which were held in nine blocks of the central 9 de Julio Avenue and nearby streets, featuring tango, folklore and cars parade.

"It is a beautiful day, there is sun and the temperature is nice," a participant whose first name is Martin told Xinhua.

The government asked the citizens to travel by public transportation for free so that more people could participate in the celebrations, which were scheduled to finish on Tuesday with a parade of 2,000 actors representing 19 key scenes in Argentine history, including the crossing of the Andes by the liberator Jose de San Martin, the war for the disputed Malvinas Islands, known as Falklands in Britain, and the fight for human rights by the Mothers of la Plaza de Mayo, a peace movement.

Some Latin American leaders, including Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, attended the ceremony.

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