ForestalWeb

24.09.09. Uruguay told the Hague International Court of Justice it had agreed with Argentina the construction of the Botnia paper mill in 2004, which Buenos Aires has repeatedly denied.

The lawyer of Montevideo, who is leading the case in the Neatherlands, Lawrence Martin, reported that on March 2, 2004, Argentina authorized the construction of the cellulose paste factory "as long as Uruguay conducted permanent controls," during a meeting of foreign ministers. The plant of Finnish company Botnia is located on the banks of the Uruguay river near town of Fray Bentos, just across the shore from Argentina.

Martin flatly denied claims presented by Argentina, that the outcome of that meeting between the foreign ministers of both countries should have been submitted to the Uruguay river binational commission and said the organization was only in charge of conducting the environmental reports.

Martin dismissed the notion that Uruguay violated the 1975 Uruguay river treaty for failing to report to the agency, as Argentina claims. "There is nothing to stop the parties from starting the revisions and initiate direct consultations," he said. "The need to start direct negotiations was obvious and both parties agreed to go forward," Martin added.

The conflict over the installation of the Botnia plant started in 2005, as environmentalists in the city of Gualeguaychú, in the province of Entre Ríos, have staged several protests demanding that Uruguay relocate the plant.

Argentina submitted the case to the international court in The Hague, while Uruguay filed another lawsuit to demand Argentina to lift a roadblock staged by activists on a bridge linking both countries near Gualeguaychú, which has remained blocked for more than two years.

The Uruguayan delegation in The Hague also denied that the plant is polluting the surrounding area, as environmentalists report.

Fuente: BUENOS AIRES HERALD