MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Pull mills dispute: Argentina invites Uruguay to dialogue

Argentina called on neighboring Uruguay to dialogue about the construction of pulp mills following the International Court of Justice, ICJ, ruling that turned down Uruguay's request for an end to road and bridge blockades by pickets protesting alleged contamination from the controversial plants.

"The advantage of the ruling is that it signals the end of the smoke screen set up by Uruguay as an excuse to refuse to dialogue and address the real problem", said Argentina's Foreign Affaire minister Jorge Taiana before leaving New York for Buenos Aires. By 14 to one the ICJ rejected the provisional measures requested by Uruguay forcing Argentina to end the blockades by pickets protesting the construction of the Finnish Botnia-Orion pulp mill plant on the eastern coast of the River Uruguay that acts as a natural border between both countries. Taiana emphasized that all along the dispute President Kirchner has "repeatedly insisted on the need to dialogue (with Uruguay) over the issue", and anticipated that Argentina will continue to look for a "legal or diplomatic solution that guarantees respect for international treaties". "Judges have fully understood the situation. We are confident about the evolution of the case", underlined Taiana. In Buenos Aires Interior minister Anibal Fernandez said that the Kirchner administration has accepted the resolution with "the necessary prudence" since the "real issue" which is the violation of the 1975 River Uruguay treaty is still pending.