MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Uruguay sponsors Portugal to Antarctic Treaty; Chavez out

Uruguay has no plans to lease or share one of its Antarctic outposts with Venezuela or to sponsor Venezuela's incorporation to the Antarctic Treaty, said Foreign Affairs Secretary Gonzalo Fernandez during a hearing before Parliament.

Mr. Fernandez however confirmed Uruguay will sponsor Portugal's incorporation to the Antarctic Treaty, thus contradicting recent statements by the Uruguayan ambassador in Caracas Geronimo Cardozo, a former military and close friend of Venezuela's leader Hugo Chavez. Mr. Cardozo had anticipated that Uruguay would share its scientific research facilities in one of its bases with Venezuela, thus helping the country begin the incorporation process to the Antarctic Treaty. Uruguay has a permanent base in King George Island and a summer station in the Antarctic continent originally British which for lack of funds has remained inactive. The UK was one of Uruguay's sponsors to the Antarctic Treaty. "Uruguay has no plans for Venezuela to manage one of Uruguay's two Antarctic stations or for any form of association or sharing in Antarctica, and we are not involved in any sponsoring of Venezuela with the Antarctic Treaty" confirmed Fernandez. "If we had the funds to open the second station, we would do so but exclusively managed by us", the Uruguayan minister told members of congress. The matter of the fact is that following on the last Antarctic season experience when a group of Venezuelan naval officers and scientists were invited by Uruguay to spend time in the General Artigas base, the idea was that Venezuela would fund and share the station on the Antarctic continent which remains non active. A member of the opposition who summoned the minister to Parliament praised Mr. Gonzalez for the announcement saying "that it was encouraging that the government understands that you don't mix scientific research with politics". Furthermore said Deputy Javier García "before Venezuela sets foot on the Antarctic continent again, it must first sign the Madrid protocol which commits all countries to protect Antarctica's environment and wildlife". The announcement Uruguay would support Portugal comes as a surprise, but the two countries have increased political, trade and investment links. Portugal transferred to Uruguay two anti submarine frigates, is funding several health, education and scientific research programs and Portucel, on of the European country largest corporations has announced a plan to invest 1.8 billion US dollars in a giant pulp and paper mill.