MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

CFK and Mujica discuss Bolivian gas and the Botnia pulp mill ruling

Mujica and Mrs. Kirchner Mujica held an unexpected meeting in Olivos

Argentine president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, CFK and her Uruguayan counterpart José Mujica met Monday afternoon during a surprise visit to the Olivos presidential residence in Buenos Aires.

The Argentine government attempted to soften the meeting's tone by saying the Botnia paper mill conflict was not analyzed, nor ex President Néstor Kirchner's candidacy to the South American Nation's Union (UNASUR) presidency.

However, Chancellor Jorge Taiana recognized the paper mill was discussed.

The Chancellor admitted that Mujica and Mrs. Kirchner spoke of the Botnia paper mill conflict and agreed they must wait for The Hague International Court's ruling to be issued on April 20th, and that both governments' dispositions are to respect the result and abide by it.

According to sources, the ruling would make reference to Uruguay's breach of failure to observe the Uruguay River treaty, by which it should have previous informed Argentina of the instalment of the paper mill and its possible contamination.

Chancellor Taiana qualified the reunion held by both presidents for over an hour in Olivos as a “constructive work meeting.” He explained the gathering took place upon request of the Uruguayan leader, who wanted to get together with his Argentine counterpart before travelling to Venezuela.

According to Taiana, the rush was due to Uruguay's intentions of buying gas from Bolivia, which, due to the characteristics of the pipelines, must pass through Argentina; Mujica had already held conversations with Bolivian President Evo Morales last week.

The Uruguayan government asked Argentina to evaluate such a possibility. In principle, the Argentine response was positive, since a date was set for a meeting between Uruguayan, Bolivian, and Argentine energy ministers to discuss how to orchestrate said possibility, the diplomat explained.

Taiana denied that during the meeting both leaders had talked about the candidacy of ex President Néstor Kirchner to the UNASUR presidency. This subject was allegedly not discussed, since another meeting on that topic is to be held on May 4, according to the Chancellor.

Argentine cabinet Chief Aníbal Fernández had said that “it was a very good meeting” and he assured that both leaders “discussed governance issues”.

“Governance issues were discussed, but the UNASUR topic was not talked about because in brief a meeting will be held, and the issue of gas and dredges was analyzed,” said Fernández, who also added that “the Botnia issue will have to wait for the Court's ruling.”

Fernández said that CFK and Mujica ”spoke of what was the subject of one of Mujica's first conversations with Evo Morales and of everything that has to do with gas for Uruguay, which must pass through Argentine pipelines.

Bolivia has Latin America’s second-largest reserves of natural gas and currently exports the fuel to neighbouring Argentina and Brazil.