The Uruguayan government rejected on Wednesday Argentina’s ultimatum referred to the UPM (former Botnia) pulp mill production expansion, and doubled the bet by proposing a reform of the shared River Uruguay Statute to increase environmental impact standards but also include both margins of the waterway.
In a formal presentation Argentina summoned Uruguay ‘to leave without effect’ its latest controversial decision allowing the Botnia/UPM pulp plant to increase its annual production and accused Uruguay of ‘unilateral violation’ of the River Uruguay statute which rules over the neighbouring countries shared-border waterway.
Argentina will not accept the remains of Nazi war criminal Erich Priebke who died in Italy, officials in Buenos Aires said on Friday. Priebke died in Rome aged 100 after serving nearly 15 years under house arrest for a World War II massacre in Italy for which he never expressed remorse.
Argentine Vice-president and acting President Amado Boudou, Foreign Minister Hector Timerman, other cabinet ministers and lawmakers met this week with Saint Vincent and Grenadines Prime Minister Ralph Everard Gonsalves, on an official invitation to visit the country to thank the Caribbean leader for his support in the Malvinas cause.
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.
“Only God sets an ultimatum” said Uruguay’s President José Mujica in a laconic reply to Argentine Foreign Minister Hector Timerman demand (and countdown) to return to negotiations regarding the UPM pulp plant and Montevideo’s decision to allow an increase in production.
Residents from Gualeguaychú, Argentina confirmed that on Sunday they will attempt crossing an international bridge to Uruguay to protest the production expansion of the pulp mill Botnia/UPM, authorized by the government of President Jose Mujica. This despite the fact Uruguayan officials anticipated that at the most “eight or nine” Argentine officials and representatives from the protestors will be allowed to meet with their Uruguayan counterparts to discuss the situation.
Foreign Minister Héctor Timerman has confirmed that Argentina will go before the international court of justice at The Hague over the decision of Uruguayan president José Mujica, who on Wednesday authorised increased production at the UPM (ex-Botnia) paper plant.
Spain will not be involved in ‘joint actions’ with Argentina regarding sovereignty claims over Gibraltar and Malvinas, said on Friday Spanish Foreign minister Jose Manuel Garcia Margallo, arguing there had been ‘misinterpretations’ in the Argentine version of the bilateral ministerial meeting and which was first denied by the Moncla Palace.
The Spanish government denied having agreed with Argentina on joint measures to press Great Britain for Malvinas Islands and Gibraltar sovereignty claims, as had been reported earlier on Thursday by Argentina’s foreign minister Hector Timerman, and described the UK as a friend country.