MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentine pickets notified of charges for blockading bridge leading to Uruguay

Argentine president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner

The Argentine Gendarmerie following instructions from a federal judge notified Monday an estimated twenty Gualeguaychú picketers that a civil and criminal case was filed against them by the Argentine government for the roadblock of a bridge linking with neighbouring Uruguay.

Gualeguaychú activists have been protesting since 2006 against the construction of a pulp mill on the Uruguayan side, which allegedly contaminates and have said they will not move until the plant is relocated.

The controversy led to a serious diplomatic conflict with Uruguay but the newly elected government of President Jose Mujica has adopted a more flexible attitude which together with the April ruling from the International Court of Justice last April is helping both sides (Mujica and Argentine president Cristina Kirchner) to work a peaceful, non repression, non loss of profile for any of the two sides, solution.

Gendarmerie chief Carlos Arias was in charge of reading the notification to the people in Gualeguaychú. It was magistrate Gustavo Pimentel's Court the one that had received the government's accusation against the blocking, a measure that has been implemented for over that three years.

Meanwhile it was revealed that Gualeguaychú activists showed a “more open to negotiation” stance. Attorney Ana Angelini confirmed, after several rumours that a special Assembly meeting is to “post the possibility of lifting the roadblock for two months to see if Uruguay is willing to monitor the pulp mill’s performance”.

Assembly members talked on the issue and ”analyzed the possibility of negotiating a roadblock-lift in exchange of a monitoring action inside the Uruguayan pulp mill”.

As a consequence, an “extended Assembly meeting” is to be held on Wednesday, where the matter is to be discussed to see in an agreement is reached.

According to Angelini statement, “to lift the roadblock for two months appears as a proper choice to make” and assured she had asked for a “recess in the discussion, for it to be continued on Wednesday in order to keep on debating the situation”.
This seems to the activists' new strategy, after ups and downs in the controversy. Angelini concluded: “We are willing to carry on with this decision, there are no excuses”.

Only two weeks ago 6.000 residents from Gualeguaychú signed a letter requesting the lifting of the blockade or if not for the issue to be subject to a plebiscite.

Furthermore although Uruguay has kept silent about Argentine government efforts to lift the blockade, the mayor of the city of Fray Bentos across from Gualeguaychú, Omar Lafluff said he is contrary to a “temporary” lifting of the pickets and would not support an environment monitoring action inside the pulp mill.