MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Uruguay to keep border with Argentina shut for now

Uruguayan Foreign Minister Reynaldo Gargano yesterday ratified the country's decision to set up a border guard watch over the bridge joining the Argentine city of Gualeguaychú and the Uruguayan town of Fray Bentos.

He said that the border will remain closed "as long as there is a risk of incidents happening." The measure was taken on Friday to prevent activists from Gualeguaychú from arriving to protest the inauguration of a pulp mill in Fray Bentos, which has been at the centre of a high-profile dispute between Argentina and Uruguay. He also criticized roadblocks set up by Argentine protesters, saying that "there is a self-elected group who has every right to do anything except what is outside of the law, such as blocking roads in violation of the Treaty of Asunción." He added that "Uruguay is willing to continue dialogue", but that "if non-government groups keep up what they're doing and start blocking river transit as well, we will wait for The Hague to issue a ruling," referring to the final decision of the Hague-based World Court over Argentina's case over the mill's alleged violation of the Treaty of the River Uruguay. Argentine Cabinet Chief Alberto Fernández had said earlier that "Uruguay overacts, trying to portray itself as an offended nation, whereas in fact we are the ones who have been offended. It wasn't us who violated an international treaty and it wasn't us who constantly refused to abide by international standards." All bridges to Uruguay blockedAll three bridges along the border of Uruguay and Argentina were blocked yesterday by Argentine protesters. The pulp mill started operations last Friday, after Uruguay's President Tabaré Vázquez issued a permit on Thursday evening. This decision, taken during the Ibero-American summit of Santiago de Chile, increased friction between the two governments and Besides the roadblock at the bridge connecting Fray Bentos and the Argentine city of Gualeguaychú, which has been closed since November 20 2006, groups of protesters in the cities of Concordia and Colón decided to block the two remaining bridges. The bridge joining Argentina's Colón with Uruguay's Paysandú remained closed from Saturday at 5pm until Sunday at 7pm. The town's assembly has decided to stop road traffic over the bridge from 8pm to 10pm for the rest of the week. In Entre Ríos's capital, Concordia, protesters blocked the bridge between their city and Uruguay's Salto at midday until 4.45pm. There had been no roadblocks over that bridge since the local assembly decided to abide by a court order issued by Federal Judge Guillermo Quadrini last August. No further protests are planned in that city. Buenos Aires Herald