MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentina rejects Uruguay's Foreign Affairs minister

An agreement between Argentina and Uruguay to overcome the controversy with the pulp mills being built in the Uruguayan coast of a shared river apparently includes the non participation of Uruguay's Foreign Affairs minister in future talks, revealed El Pais, Montevideo's main daily in its Sunday edition.

Last Saturday in Santiago Argentine president Nestor Kirchner and his Uruguayan counterpart announced an agreement by which they will simultaneously request the pulp mills, in Uruguayan territory, to temporarily cease construction of the plants and the pickets on the Argentine side obstructing traffic in two international bridges in protest for alleged future water and air pollution arising from the pulp industry, to lift the blockade.

However, following on request from the Argentine side, Uruguayan Foreign Affairs Minister Reynaldo Gargano will not be contributing to the final draft which is scheduled to be finalized in the coming week.

The two leaders were on hand in Santiago for the inauguration of elected President Michelle Bachelet. According to El Pais, Uruguayan reliable diplomatic sources said that the Kirchner administration was not ready to negotiate so long as Gargano was involved in the discussions.

That is why, explains El Pais, President Vazquez designated presidential Chief of Staff Gonzalo Fernandez to head the talks with Argentine Cabinet chief Alberto Fernandez.

El Pais said that in the ranks of the Broad Front, the coalition that propelled Socialist Vazquez to the presidency, there was discontent with Argentine Foreign Minister Jorge Taiana over some of his comments on the paper mills to be built by Finnish firm Botnia and Spain's Ence in Fray Bentos on the coast of the river Uruguay which is shared and jointly managed by the two neighbouring countries.

The paper added that "for that reason, President Vazquez decided that from then on Deputy Foreign minister, Belela Herrera, would become the Uruguayan government spokesperson on the issue.

Mr. Gargano who also travelled to Chile, on Saturday declined to comment to the Uruguayan media about the announcement from presidents Vazquez and Kirchner. Furthermore he was not present at the presidents' meeting on the 21st floor of the Sheraton Hotel in Santiago, where the agreement was worked out.

Meanwhile Uruguay's two main opposition parties, National Party and the Colorados reacted angrily to Vazquez's decision to accept what they called the Argentine government's "arrogant" stance and "bully" attitude in the pulp mills conflict.

Former president Jorge Batlle said that Vazquez had "betrayed all Uruguayans by not fulfilling what he promised," which had been not to suspend construction on the plants. Former President Luis Alberto Lacalle from the National Party said that Vazquez and Kirchner had confused the "illegal act" of blocking the bridges with the "legal act of building a paper mill".

The Environmental Assembly of Gualeguaychu, the Argentine town across the Uruguay River which is leading the protests said that the presidents' accord "opens a window of hope" for a solution, there's "no rush" to lift the bridges blockades.