MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Gualeguaychu unwilling to take ?no' as an answer

Argentine environmentalists said yesterday they would go back on the protest path if the World Court in The Hague did not order the suspension of the construction of two pulp mills in neighbouring Uruguay.

The environmentalists in Entre Ríos province said they were considering "secret measures" to "bring the construction to a halt." "If The Hague doesn't suspend the construction, we will have to do it ourselves," said Juan Veronesi, one of the leaders of a citizens' assembly in Gualeguaychú, a town up in arms against the Fray Bentos mills.

Argentina and Uruguay have been wrangling for months over the mammoth plants, which are already under construction, and which Argentina fears will harm the environment of the riverside in the border area.

Argentina last week appealed to the UN's highest court to order an immediate halt to the construction of the mills. The World Court is expected to rule on that request by the end of July. The final ruling on Argentina's main complaint that Uruguay has violated a 1975 bilateral river agreement calling for protection of the 1,600-kilometre waterway that serves as the natural border between the two countries might take as long as five years.

Uruguay says that pollution controls are tougher than the treaty requires, and has offered to allow Argentina to monitor emissions from the mills.

The protracted dispute between the neighbouring countries escalated earlier this year, when environmentalists in Gualeguaychú blockaded bridges between the two countries. Uruguay complained it had lost 400 million dollars in business and tourist traffic.

On Monday, Uruguayan President Tabaré Vázquez said that he would like the two countries to reach "an understanding" to unlock the pulp mill conflict. Argentina's Foreign Ministry reacted favourably to the call but said that Uruguay should first suspend the construction of the mills to allow for new environmental studies.

Uruguay's Foreign Minister Reinaldo Gargano is scheduled to be in Buenos Aires tomorrow to attend a meeting of Mercosur ministers in preparation for a presidential summit of the trade bloc next month. Vázquez has said he will attend the summit. Gargano said yesterday he would ask the Mercosur for a guarantee that there would be no more roadblocks.

The Gualeguaychú environmentalists said yesterday that they were pleased with Argentina's presentation in The Hague court last week but warned they would take "secret protest measures" if the World Court did not order the suspension of construction. "Gualeguaychú is looking into secret measures to continue with this protest," said Martín Alazard, another leader of Gualeguaychú's assembly.

"We are very pleased with the presentation the Argentine delegation made at The Hague court. Its work was very responsible," said assembly member Fabián Moreno Navarro, who is a lawyer.

The World Court was created in 1946 to settle disputes between UN member states. Its rulings are final and binding, although they are not always obeyed. Buenos Aires Herald