MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Uruguay reacts to “gorilla” comment

Relations between Argentina and Uruguay, which have had their ups and downs over the past year, are once again troubled after an Argentine governor called Uruguayan President Jorge Battle a “gorilla,” a nickname for anti-Peronists.

Foreign Minister Didier Opertti said that the statements by Entre Ríos province governor Jorge Busti "are being analyzed" by the government, which has yet to decide if the statements have "the significance and impact necessary to require some action."

According to Uruguayan press reports, Mr. Busti said on Thursday that "I believe that these actions by President Jorge Batlle ? this gorilla who is president of Uruguay, who doesn't like us ? are the desperate acts of someone who is on the way out. He is making agreements worth millions of dollars, compromising the next administration when we are just days away from a national election." Uruguay is scheduled to hold presidential elections October 31 and the left wing opposition alliance, according to opinion polls, is in the threshold of winning in the first round without the need of a run off a month later.

Mr. Busti made the statements after president Batlle signed an agreement with a Finnish paper manufacturer to build a plant in Fray Bentos, just across the Uruguay river from the Entre Ríos city of Gualeguaychú, without waiting for an environmental impact study being prepared by his province's environmental agency. The total Finnish investment in the plant, forestry and logistics is estimated close to the one billion US dollars. Entre Ríos governor opposes the paper and chip plant because of fears of environmental pollution and waste that would be generated by the plant.

"I am not going to respond (to Busti) nor am I going to make any comment," minister Opertti said. "Whoever uses such words must take responsibility for them. If someone has to answer for this issue it would not be the governor, but rather, following the appropriate channels, Foreign Minister Rafael Bielsa himself.".

Relations between both neighboring countries' administrations have not been extremely cordial since the Uruguayan president publicly forecasted in 2003 that the next Argentine president would be Carlos Menem, adding that "all Argentine politicians from A to Z, are thieves?" Since taking office Argentine president Nestor Kirchner has openly supported the Uruguayan opposition coalition and its presidential candidate, oncologist Dr. Tabare Vazquez.. Buenos Aires mayor Anibal Ibarra and Foreign Affairs minister Rafael Bielsa have participated in conferences in Montevideo supporting the Broad Coalition and Mr. Vazquez.

"For Uruguay it's essential to guarantee rights to the electorate and those eventually elected", said Mr. Opertti adding that it's inconvenient for foreign authorities "to get involved in an electoral process and a few weeks away from definition".