MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentina denies having set any ultimatum regarding the pulp mill controversy with Uruguay

Minister Hector Timerman and Entre Rios province governor Sergio Urribarri (L) making the ultimatum announcement last Wednesday

The Argentine Foreign ministry denied on Friday it had given a two-day ultimatum to Uruguay to suspend the decision allowing the controversial Botnia/UPM pulp mill a production expansion and also demanded an immediate return to bilateral negotiations.

However the two day ‘ultimatum’ announcement was even posted on Wednesday in the Argentine foreign ministry site with a picture or Minister Hector Timerman and Entre Rios province governor Sergio Urribarri.

The first reaction from Uruguayan president Jose Mujica was to order his officials to avoid any public discussion about the issue with Argentina and he himself addressed Timerman stating that “Only God sets an ultimatum”.

Timerman had said if Uruguay did not comply withdrawing the production expansion and returned to bilateral discussions, Argentina would take the pulp mill case again to the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

Late Friday Mujica laconically referred to the issue pressured by the media.

“We prefer to lower comments, because if we start with that ball game, news begin flying around and instead of improving things, we’ll make them worse. Let’s all look the other way, there are plenty of other things”, said Mujica when asked specifically about the controversy.

“And in any case we will respond through the natural channels, but for the moment there are no plans for that”, he added.

Last Wednesday Timerman publicly stated that “we have sent Uruguay two messages and this is the third one. I’m going to wait a couple of days before returning to International Court in The Hague”.

“What ultimatum: only God sets an ultimatum” was the only reply from Uruguay through its president.

However on Friday in contacts with the Buenos Aires media, the Argentine Foreign ministry denied such a situation: “we never gave the Uruguayan government an ultimatum”.

The Argentine government facing, according to opinion polls, adverse midterm elections next 27 October is highly sensitive to any changes to the Botnia/UPM controversy status quo. However Mujica was also pressed because the Finnish company had requested authorization for a production increase two years ago, and was expected to return to full operations following a month of maintenance and repair works.