MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Pulp mills: Royal envoy begins shuttle diplomacy

A Spanish royal envoy acting as a “dialogue facilitator” between Argentina and Uruguay that are engaged in an escalating pulp mills controversy is scheduled to arrive next Monday for a round of contacts in Buenos Aires and Montevideo.

Ambassador Antonio Yáñez-Barnuevo, named by Spain's King Juan Carlos I to "facilitate" the bilateral dialogue is expected Sunday in Montevideo and the following day will hold a protocol meeting with Uruguayan president Tabare Vazquez.

The meeting with President Vazquez marks a substantial change from the last time the ambassador visited Uruguay because on that occasion he was interviewed by a third ranking official from the Uruguayan Foreign Affairs minister.

The situation has also escalated substantially since ambassador Yañez-Barnuevo first visited the River Plate two weeks ago: the World Bank approved loans for the Finnish Botnia-Orion pulp mill under construction on the shores of a river which divides the neighboring countries, --in spite of Argentine strong lobbying and protests?and the Uruguayan government as part of a "prevention" operation ordered the deployment of the Army along the perimeter of the pulp mill grounds, following rumors of possible radical groups' attacks.

The decision was described as a "senseless affront" by Argentine president Nestor Kirchner; an "excess" by Defense minister Nilda Garré; a "provocation" by Governor Jorge Busti who suggested it helped to create the atmosphere for "a self inflicted attack", and an unnecessary escalation of the conflict by political analysts.

The Uruguayan Ambassador in Buenos Aires Bustillo was summoned to the ministry and handed a protest letter by Argentina.

Next Tuesday the Spanish envoy will fly to Buenos Aires to meet Foreign Affairs minister Jorge Taiana but it's not certain whether he'll be received by President Nestor Kirchner, who originally called on the King to act as a dialogue "facilitator".

On Wednesday ambassador Yañez-Barnuevo will be back in Montevideo and Thursday probably returning to Madrid with the name of the Uruguayan and Argentine delegates with whom on the future he will try to rebuild the bilateral dialogue. Discussions are planned to take place in Madrid, thousands of miles away from the hotspot which has become daily headlines on both sides of the River Plate and increasingly arousing nationalistic spirits.

During his first incursion the Spanish envoy met in Buenos Aires with minister Taiana and cabinet chief Alberto Fernandez at Government House. President Kirchner stopped in for a few minutes and handed the envoy a personal letter for King Juan Carlos.

However in Montevideo Yañez-Barnuevo was told Uruguay would not sit to talk under pressure from Argentina and demanded before the lifting of the pickets that are blocking bridges leading to Uruguay. He met formally with Ambassador Luis Cancela, number three in the Uruguayan Foreign Affairs ministry and later enjoyed an informal lunch with the head of Uruguayan diplomacy Reinaldo Gargano.

Following the World Bank's last week decision to grant the loan for the pulp mill the residents and environmentalist groups on the Argentine side, from the city of Gualeguaychu, announced an indefinite blocking of the access to the international bridge leading to Uruguay.

Over the weekend other pickets further north in the city of Colon, across from Paysandú in Uruguay also anticipated a timetable of pickets for the coming summer season when thousands of Argentines traditionally flock to Uruguay's Atlantic beaches.