MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentine pulp mill protestors promise to “fight on” whatever The Hague ruling

In spite of the pickets the Botnia plant has been producing according to plans, mostly exports.

With only a week left for the beginning of the hearings in the International Court of Justice in The Hague on the pulp mills dispute between Uruguay and Argentina, pickets that have been blocking bridges between the two neighbouring countries promised to keep on the struggle.

“Whatever the ruling, the fight goes on”, said a crowd of Argentine protestors who marched to the international bridge linking Gualeguaychú with Fray Bentos in Uruguay, where the Botnia pulp mill and heart of the contention has been built and has been in production for over a year.

Argentina claims Uruguay did not consult or advice on the fact it was planning to build the pulp mill along the river Uruguay which is the natural border between both countries and its management is shared by both countries according to an agreement dating back to the seventies.

Between September 14 and October 2, both sides will be making their final presentations and a ruling can be expected the following year.

This weekend an estimated 15.000 Argentine protestors and environmentalists marched to the head of the bi-national bridge with banners and chants, and read a proclamation.

“Whatever the ruling, we will continue to fight so that dirty industries do not come to contaminate our environment”.

Pickets argue that the state of the art pulp mill, in spite of complying with the latest EU regulations on environmental impact, confirmed by independent studies, including from Argentine universities, is polluting the waters of the River Uruguay and the air, becoming a health hazard.

The statement also calls on the International Court “not to give priority to multinational corporations’ benefits over the healthy and dignified life to which whole populations in the area are entitled to”.

“We’re the victims of unscrupulous and infamous World Bank dealings confirmed by their corrupt technical staff”, they added.

The pickets also made Argentine president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner responsible for damages, losses or sufferings emerging from contamination for not impeding the operations of the Botnia pulp mill through the Customs Code and the political decision to ban “Argentine input, including logs”.

Last month Uruguay’s Foreign Ministry said there was optimism that the ruling from The Hague would be favourable to Uruguay-