MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Uruguay’s president calls for “deeds” and an end to Argentine pickets

Vazquez has learnt it’s not easy living next to Argentina

Uruguayan president Tabare Vazquez called for “deeds” from Argentina and insisted that the administration of Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner must remove the pickets which for two years have cut the traffic between the neighbouring countries in protest over the construction of a pulp mill.

“What makes things change are deeds. And the fact is that things are the same, so there have been no changes from the Argentine side. Uruguay has said and has repeated ad infinitum: the Argentine government must lift the blockade on the San Martin bridge and allow for the dredging of the Martin Garcia channel”, said Vazquez at the end of his one day visit to Paraguay.

President Vazquez was replying to recent electoral campaign statements from former president Nestor Kirchner who said the blockade would soon be lifted.

Circulation across the bridge linking Argentina and Uruguay has been banned by organized “voluntary” pickets from the city of Gualeguaychú who oppose, alleging contamination, of a pulp mill located across the river in Uruguay in Fray Bentos.

The Finnish Botnia mill is Uruguay’s main private investment in decades, 1.2 billion US dollars, and compiles with all international environment protection regulations and has been confirmed as such even by surveys from Argentine universities.

However picketers do not acknowledge the surveys’ results and remain blocking access to the bridge which has generated significant losses to trade and tourism circulation for Uruguay. Pickets have been blocking for over two years in spite of the fact the plant is in full production, over a million tons of pulp annually.

The dispute has reached the International Justice Court of The Hague and a ruling is expected sometime next year. The appeal was presented by Argentina alleging Uruguay ignored the bilateral treaty which manages the use of water and resources of the shared border River Uruguay.

Uruguay is also protesting Argentina’s “non action” regarding the dredging of the Martin Garcia channel in the River Plate which is vital for several ports along the Uruguayan coast, mainly Nueva Palmira from where most of the Botnia pulp is shipped overseas.

Uruguay has retaliated by vetoing Mr. Kirchner’s aspiration of becoming the first chairman of Unasur the recently created Union of South American Nations which includes all of the countries of the region.