Uruguay and Argentina announced they had reached a final “scientific” agreement for the joint environmental monitoring of the UPM-Botnia pulp mill in shared waters and which delaying the implementation of a bilateral agreement.
Uruguayan president Jose Mujica told his cabinet that he had contacted the British ambassador to tell him why the Royal Navy HMS Gloucester bound for the Falkland Islands had been authorized to call in Montevideo and a few hours before arriving had clearance withdrawn.
Argentina and Uruguay signed Monday in Montevideo the agreement which puts an end to an ongoing years-long litigation over the construction of a pulp mill along a shared river.
The Uruguayan government and opposition expressed deep satisfaction with the agreement reached with Argentina for the monitoring of the River Uruguay which did not include ‘detrimental sovereignty issues’ and sealed the end to a long standing conflict.
Uruguay and Argentina finally reached on Wednesday an agreement for the joint monitoring of the River Uruguay which should end the long-standing dispute over the construction of the Finnish UPM/Botnia pulp mill dating back to 2005.
Finland’s pulp and paper manufacturer UPM's (OMX: UPM1V) Fray Bentos unit in Uruguay proved overwhelmingly the most profitable, helping to boost an otherwise first quarter profit of the year which was described as “unsatisfactory” by CEO Jussi Pesonen.
Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner and her Uruguayan counterpart José “Pepe” Mujica said on Wednesday they will be working to “re-channel” bilateral relations and will strictly abide the ruling of the Botnia paper mill case.
Argentine Foreign Minister Jorge Taiana called on Gualeguaychú activists that keep international San Martín bridge blocked for more than three years to “reconsider their ways of action, mostly after the International Court of Justice ruling”.
“There are no miracles; we feel cool about the decision”, said Uruguayan president Jose Mujica following the International Court of Justice ruling which means there will be no relocation of the Orion pulp mill which besides does not contaminate, as was claimed by Argentina when it presented its case back in 2006.
Much as was anticipated, Uruguay and Argentina celebrated as favourable the ruling of the International court of Justice regarding a long standing pulp mills dispute, while environmentalists were totally disappointed and promised to continue and intensify their protests and pickets.