MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Uruguay orders the Army the custody of Botnia pulp mill

Uruguay ordered the perimeter custody of the grounds where Finland's Botnia is building a controversial pulp mill plant on a shared river with Argentina and which is challenged by Buenos Aires alleging damages to the environment.

The news was confirmed Wednesday in Montevideo by government and military sources that defined the patrolling as entirely "defensive and preventive".

The Botnia-Orion pulp mill project under construction in Fray Bentos, 300 northeast of Montevideo is being built next to the Uruguay River which acts as a natural border for the neighboring countries that jointly manage its water resources.

Apparently Uruguayan president Tabare Vazquez ordered the Army to move in last week following the decision of pickets on the Argentine side of an international river linking Gualeguaychu to Fray Bentos, to block all access to Uruguay for an indefinite period of time.

Last weekend Miguel Campostrino, leader of the Gualeguaychu Environmental Assembly responsible for the route blockades was quoted in a Montevideo newspaper saying that "over a thousand people are willing to cross over to Uruguay and do whatever is necessary to avoid the completion of the Botnia pulp mill, and I'm not bragging".

The Argentine administration of President Nestor Kirchner has adopted a passive attitude towards the pickets arguing it will "not repress brother Argentines", or impede them from freely expressing themselves.

However in the last weeks President Kirchner has repeatedly called on Gualeguaychu protestors to end the pickets because "they are contrary to Argentina's diplomatic strategy in the pull mills dispute". But so far to no avail.

"When security measures are needed they must be decided before incidents happen; it's all precautionary", said Deputy cabinet chief Jorge Vazquez who added "we're guarding the grounds, not the construction".

So far the duty was in the hands of the local police and a fluvial coast guard outpost.

However earlier in the month a Uruguayan political analyst announced in a local radio interview that Argentine "radical groups" were planning "extreme" actions, "possibly destruction of some vital elements of the pulp mill under construction".

Sugo Torres said the dispute was "escaping the control" of the Kirchner administration and had recommended to strengthen security in the area. Sugo Torres also revealed that a year ago the Uruguayan government was planning to send a Navy frigate up the river Uruguay and anchor it next to Fray Bentos, "to show the flag".

However, after some convincing, such exposure (provocation) was desisted since it would only lead to further escalation of the conflict.

Actually the Argentines later organized massive air, land and fluvial military exercises not far from the conflicting area and apparently used live ammunition.

In Montevideo at the time there were also insistent rumors of a failed attack attempt on the pulp mill from an extremist group which was aborted with the help of information from "friendly intelligence services".

"I think the Uruguayan government has again misread the situation; by announcing the Army is moving in to protect the grounds of the Botnia plant it again has committed a diplomatic and military error by escalating the conflict and giving Argentina arguments", said Sugo Torres. "Uruguay is well ahead in the diplomatic dispute; there's no need to make this kind of announcements", concluded the political analyst Sugo Torres.

The pulp mills controversy is currently under consideration in the International Court of The Hague, a Mercosur arbitration tribunal, the King of Spain is acting as a dialogue "facilitator" and the issue will be addressed in the coming Mercosur presidential summit.

Besides this month the World Bank confirmed a 170 million US dollars loan to Botnia plus 350 million US dollars insurance for the plant under construction.