MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Relocating pulp mill objected by Argentina is “impossible”

Orion - Botnia will be lauch next September

The relocation of the pulp mill under construction in Uruguay, and which Argentina objects on legal and environmental grounds, is “impossible” said Uruguay's former president Jorge Batlle in an interview with the Buenos Aires press.

Batlle also reviewed Argentina's politics and economic policies underlining the benefits which these have meant for Uruguayan farmers and overall activity, particularly given President Nestor Kirchner's administration decision to tax agriculture exports. "Relocating Botnia is absolutely impossible. Imagine Uruguay pressing on Argentina for the relocation of the pulp mills along the river Parana", argued Batlle. The former Uruguayan president said "you must take things with humor and not be annoyed so often. When I went mad I lost, I made a grossly offensive statement". Jorge Batlle was recalling the incident during the administration of Argentine caretaker president Eduardo Duhalde when he openly stated that "Argentines are a bunch of thieves, from A to Z". As to the economic situation of Uruguay he described it as closely linked to "Argentina's policies and taxing of exports", a fiscal resource which is not levied in Uruguay. "Taxing exports is against common sense; it's like throwing a stone to the sky, the stone eventually falls and will knock you on your head". Finally Batlle said that energy and fuel price distortions in Argentina are only helping to discourage investors. "And if prices are not adopted to reality, to what the market suggests, Mrs Kirchner will not be able to blame the damned inheritance on her husband", concluded Batlle. This Monday a new two days dialogue round begins in New York between delegates from Uruguay and Argentina in an effort to overcome the pulp mills dispute. The talks are held under the auspices of the Spanish Crown which is acting as "a dialogue facilitator".