MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentine ministers call on pickets to abandon roadblock leading to Uruguay

Argentine Justice Minister Julio Alak.

Argentine ministers went public again on Friday to insist that there are no excuses left for keeping a roadblock on a bridge leading to neighbouring Uruguay, a long standing protest since 2006 against the construction of the Botnia pulp mill.

The Argentine government filed civil and criminal charges against those responsible for the pickets but has insisted that there will be no use of force or repression to evict picketers.

The origin of the dispute is the pulp mill built on the Uruguayan side which Argentine pickets (at one time sponsored by the federal and provincial governments) claim contaminates the shared waters of the river Uruguay, the environment of Gualeguaychú, a city that lives on tourism, and therefore should be relocated.

However the 2006 pickets have not impeded the pulp mill from being finished and in full production, a million tons of pulp a year and an April ruling from the International Court of Justice calling on both sides (Argentina and Uruguay) to jointly monitor the shared waters but also ensure the right to free circulation.

“The ruling issued by the International Court of Justice marked a turning point on the Botnia pulp mill conflict and there are no excuses left for keeping the roadblock in place”, said Argentine Justice minister Julio Alak.

“The Argentine government has filed a complaint in the Concepción del Uruguay Federal Court so a judge can notice all activists that they are incurring in a serious felony“ added Alak.

On Thursday Interior Minister Florencio Randazzo explained that by refusing to clear the Gualeguaychú-Fray Bentos bridge, “pickets are impeding further environmental controls from taking place in the area” as was recommended by the International Court of Justice.

Cabinet Chief Aníbal Fernández also spoke about the roadblock and dispute on Friday saying that demonstrations ”stopped being a popular way of claiming for justice and started being a whim“.

His statements come after several ups and downs were recorded in the case and after the Gualeguaychú assembly members and activists pledged to stay in the area and not lift the block.

Aníbal Fernández assured ”Botnia's relocation is not going to happen“ due to the fact that the International Court of Justice's ruling was ”very clear on the matter.“

The Cabinet Chief also stated that, now that President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner's administration has decided to be complainant in the case, the government expects to ”put an end to this situation and be able to free the General San Martín bridge”, which has been blocked since 2006.

However picketers furious with the Argentine government decision to appeal to a federal court to have them evicted have warned that they could also counter demand the Argentine government for having at the time sponsored and even “indirectly financed” protestors to block the bridge leading to Uruguay.

“They could be associated as necessary partners of the 18 crimes they are planning to accuse us of”, said a picketers’ leader quoted in the Buenos Aires press. “At the time of the height of the conflict ministers, high ranking officials from government encouraged us to block the bridge and even delivered indirect financial aid”.

“We still recall when not so long ago President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner and her husband came to Gualeguaychú and said they were ‘two more picketers’ and had pictures taken with flags and placards against Botnia”, said the same sources.

Gualeguaychú mayor Juan Jose Bahillo also became part of the argument saying that “my neighbours are not criminals, they are protesting for noble reasons”.

Meanwhile in Uruguay, President Jose ‘Pepe’ Mujica who reached an agreement with Mrs. Kirchner to remove the pickets and open the bridge said “this is a political issue, and I have made my move. That’s all I will say, plus having patience and giving time the necessary time to find the way out”.

Uruguayan ministers have been specifically instructed not to make any public comments on the dispute. “We must act as good brothers and a united family”.