Uruguay and the United States expressed concern Tuesday that recent weapons purchases could lead to an arms race in South America. In a joint appearance, Uruguayan President Tabare Vazquez and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton also pledged co-operation on trade, scientific research and other fields.
United States Senator Richard Lugar, the ranking Republican on the Foreign Relations Committee, introduced a bill Tuesday to extend US trade benefits to Uruguay. The move he says would increase pressure on Brazil to deepen commercial ties.
The Uruguayan economy performed better than expected in the second quarter of 2009, having advanced 0.5% over the previous quarter and 0.2% over the same period a year ago, according to the latest release from the Central Bank.
Argentina told the International Court of Justice Monday that Uruguayan pollution of a border river was a grave infringement of Argentinean rights. Argentina and Uruguay have been wrangling for years over a giant pulp mill sited on the Uruguay River, which divides the two South American nations.
Uruguay’s incumbent presidential candidate and former Tupamaros guerrilla leader Jose “Pepe” Mujica sent shockwaves both inside the ruling coalition and the opposition as a result of a long controversial Sunday interview with the Buenos Aires daily La Nación.
Argentina begins Monday a round of public hearings before the International Court of The Hague and will be arguing against Uruguay’s alleged unilateral decision to allow the construction of a pulp mill on a jointly managed river and which has been at the heart of a long standing litigation between the neighbouring countries.
The US federal deficit has reached 1.38 trillion US dollars with one month left for the current fiscal year, according to Treasury Department statistics released on Friday. In August the deficit was 111.4 billion US dollars.
United States has a “truly exceptional” relation with Uruguay and expects whoever wins the coming election, to keep that “very solid” link said Everett Eissenstat, US Assistant Trade Representative for the Americas during a meeting with a delegation of visiting Uruguayan journalists.
The four Uruguayan presidential candidates coincided in criticizing Iran’s position regarding the state of Israel and favoured including in the schools programs teaching the Shoa or Holocaust.
Uruguay’s opposition junior party presidential candidate did not discard a coalition or unity government with either of the two forces that have the best chances of winning next October’s elections.