MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Pulp mills conflict: “no back stepping” says Uruguay

Uruguayan president Tabare Vazquez said that Uruguay is always willing to discuss a solution to the pulp mills dispute with Argentina, but vowed that his administration would not stop the construction of the plants in spite of the “illegal” pickets.

"The plants will be built, and we're not going to negotiate as long as pickets keep blocking the bridges", stressed President Vázquez who is currently on a regional visit to Venezuela, Brazil and Paraguay in search of support for the dispute.

European companies are building two pulp mills on the Uruguayan side of the shared and jointly managed river Uruguay which acts as a natural border between the two neighbouring countries, but residents on the Argentine side and environmentalists claim the plants will pollute water and air and have been protesting for weeks with pickets blocking two to three international bridges.

Last week Presidents Kirchner and President Vazquez announced in Chile that an understanding was reached to request (Argentine) picketers to lift the blockades and the companies to suspend construction of the pulp mills for a maximum of 90 days.

However picketers after holding several meetings have come forward with more conditions, which prompted President Vazquez to warn that his administration is considering appealing to Argentine courts for the losses caused by the blocking of the bridges.

"We have the right to be compensated, we're also looking into International Law options besides considering going to Argentine courts for compensation", he said.

"Who awarded these picketers the condition of environmentalists? Why don't they protest about the other pulp mills in their province which effectively contaminate?", asked president Vazquez in an interview with the Uruguayan press.

"The only two countries which are blockaded in the Americas are Cuba and Uruguay" emphasized Vazquez, adding that "bridges are built to link and unite, not to divide".

In Argentina President Kirchner downplayed the dispute saying that "how can there be frictions between two brotherly countries as Uruguay and Argentina?".

"I laugh when people try to dramatize this conflict of interests. We're talking of environmental interests' non existent in our times and which were only incorporated to international discussions in 1991".

But in spite of the different attitudes, Uruguayan government sources admitted that they are in contact with the pulp mills to request a temporary suspension of the works and in Argentina Entre Rios province officials are confident that in the next 48/72 hours the pickets will be lifted and an understanding can be reached.

Meantime in the port of Montevideo heavy equipment and steel structures manufactured in Chile for one of the pulp mills began to be unloaded. Originally dispatched by land most of the trucks had to turn back because pickets impeded them from crossing from Argentina to Uruguay.

The Uruguayan opposition bitterly criticized president Vázquez for threatening with appealing to Argentine courts.

"It means accepting Argentine sovereignty over the pulp mills conflict and admitting the pickets; it's totally absurd", said former president Jorge Batlle.