MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Mrs. Kirchner can't convince protestors to end pickets

Argentine president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner and Gualeguaychu pickets kept on Thursday to their positions in the controversy over the construction of a pulp mill in neighboring Uruguay which environmentalists and protestors claim is/will be highly contaminating.

While Mrs. Kirchner ratified her administration's decision to abide by the ruling of The International Court of Justice in The Hague, members of the Gualeguaychu Assembly said they would continue with their protests. The Argentine government is waiting for a ruling from the ICJ where it presented a claim against Uruguay which authorized the construction of a giant 1.2 billion US dollars Finnish pulp mill, allegedly having ignored a 1975 agreement on the joint management of the River Uruguay and water resources, which acts as a natural border between the neighboring countries. But according to some members of the delegation the most they obtained was a ratification of what has been the official line under the Kirchner administrations: "Botnia is a national cause". At the two hours meeting with a delegation of pickets, Mrs. Kirchner was accompanied by cabinet chief Alberto Fernandez, Foreign Affairs minister Jorge Taiana and Environment Secretary Romina Picolotti. Governor Sergio Urribarri from the province of Entre Ríos and Gualeguaychú mayor Juan Carlos Bahillo were also present. "We are leaving with replies we didn't expect", said Osvaldo Fernandez summing up the meeting. Although the blocking of bridges leading to Uruguay was not officially included among the issues to consider, one of the Gualeguaychu representatives said that "the president inferred that if we put an end to the bridge pickets she would come on February 26" to the anniversary of the signing of the River Uruguay treaty. Pickets' representatives apparently claimed more support from the Argentine government in their dispute with Botnia, more specifically the application of the Customs code preventing inputs and provisions for Botnia from crossing Argentine territory, as well as a bill banning the sale of logs for pulp mills overseas. "I do not share the legal point of view on the matter", replied President Cristina Kirchner according to Osvaldo Fernandez. "We're leaving with non satisfaction", he said however admitting that the Argentine government remains supportive of the Gualeguaychu claim. Residents from Gualeguaychu argue that the Botnia pulp mill will contaminate the area and damage the city's tourism industry and are demanding a relocation of the plant further south in Uruguayan territory. Fernandez said the most they managed from the president was the promise to leave the door open to dialogue with Argentina's Foreign Affairs ministry over the possibility of financial support for those Gualeguaychu residents with European background to claim against Botnia in EU courts. Finally the delegation ratified that the "struggle for the relocation of Botnia will continue" and so will protest measures because "all we talked about with the president has legal support". With this in mind another huge protest has been planned for next April 27 on the San Martin international bridge "in defense of life, biodiversity and against the pulp mills". Government officials acknowledged privately that it had reiterated requests for an end to the pickets and blocking of roads leading to the international bridges linking with Uruguay arguing that these measures only harm Argentina's claim in the ICJ. But the most fundamentalist of the protestors warned that they will not accept such an option, "not even if the ICJ rules in favor of Uruguay".