URUGUAY: Argentine environmental activisits protest increased production at Uruguay paper mill that sits along the border on the shared Uruguay River

Record ID: 351577

  • Title: URUGUAY: Argentine environmental activisits protest increased production at Uruguay paper mill that sits along the border on the shared Uruguay River
  • Date: 7th October 2013
  • Summary: FRAY BENTOS, URUGUAY (FILE) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF UPM PAPER MILL
  • Embargoed: 22nd October 2013 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Uruguay
  • Country: Uruguay
  • Topics: Business,International Relations,Industry
  • Reuters ID: LVA2FAQ0ZU7ZDS4UGOCGA7NY8V9P
  • Story Text: Hundreds of Argentine protesters drove across the international bridge that divides their country with Uruguay, where President Jose Mujica has authorized the UPM paper mill to increase production, prompting a strong reaction from Argentina that cites concerns over environmental damages.
    Last week, Mujica authorised the world's top graphic paper maker, Finland's UPM-Kymmene, to increase pulp production to 1.2 million tonnes of pulp per year, up from the previously permitted 1.1 million tonnes Buenos Aires responded swiftly. Argentina has said the pulp mill pollutes the Uruguay River, which separates the two countries and Foreign Minister Hector Timerman told media that his country would return to the International Court of Justice over the matter..
    On Sunday (October 6), environmentalists protested by driving across the bridge that provides access to the plant from Argentina. Uruguayan authorities blocked the protesters from entering the city of Fray Bentos, which angered the activists.
    This woman threatened to block the bridge, as protesters have done during previous disputes over the paper mill.
    Officials from Uruguay and Argentina recently met over the years-old dispute but failed to reach an agreement on the plant's output.
    One activist said the matter should be handled diplomatically.

    "This is a failure of diplomatic relations. It's a failure between two countries and it concerns us. We are going to insist with an order to appear to (Argentine) Foreign Minister (Hector) Timerman, to Congress, to inform us," he said.
    Uruguay has defended its decision to expand production, denying charges that it was bowing to the interests of a powerful multinational and that the mill was harming the river.
    Fray Bentos Mayor Omar LaFluf said the data would prove his country is correct.

    "I would like the scientific committee to publish the results of everything because Argentina defined the test site (of the river) as in front of the plant. We defined the test site as the mouth of the Gualeguaychu River. They should publish it all to end the discussion," he said.
    The $1.2 billion plant, owned by the Finnish firm Botnia, represents one of the largest private investments in Uruguay's history.
    In 2006, Argentina took Uruguay to the Hague, trying to block paper mill operations. The court ruled in Uruguay's favour in 2010, saying it had breached procedural obligations to inform Argentina but had not violated its environmental obligations.
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