Uruguay Reopens Border
Bridges to Argentina
Uruguay reopened two
areas bordering
Argentina on Monday
morning that were closed
at the weekend to
prevent the entry of
Argentine
environmentalists,
according to Uruguay's
military sources.
Argentine
environmentalists
planned to enter the
country for a
demonstration against
the operation of a
disputed Finnish paper
mill.
Marcelo Larrobla, head
of public relations for
the army, told reporters
that "a directive to
reopen and to begin
normal work was received
at 10 a.m. local time
(1200 GMT)."
However, traffic from
Argentina across the
Fray Bentos
International Bridge is
set to remain halted for
some time.
The government had
ordered the closure of
bridge linking the
Uruguayan city of Salto
to the Argentine city of
Concordia on Sunday, and
shut the bridge linking
Uruguayan city of
Paysandu to Argentine
city of Colon on
Saturday.
Argentine protestors
have sealed the bridge
linking the Uruguayan
city of Fray Bentos to
the Argentine city of
Gualeguaychu for over a
year to protest the
plant, which was built
by Finnish company
Botnia in Fray Bentos.
Since the paper mill
went into operation on
Nov. 9, some Argentine
citizens have threatened
to hold public protests.
Argentina fears the
factory will pollute the
environment in a region
heavily dependent on
agriculture and tourism,
while Uruguayargues the
mill would cause little
harm to the environment,
and would revive the
local economy.
Argentina has been
challenging the plant at
the International Courts
of Justice in the Dutch
city The Hague, citing
environmental damage to
the Uruguay River, which
forms the border between
the two nations. It
argues that pollution
from the plant violates
the two nations' Uruguay
River Treaty.
Botnia, which will
produce 1 million tons
of cellulose from the
plant each year, has
invested 1.2 billion
U.S. dollars in the
facility, one of
Uruguay's largest ever
foreign direct
investments.
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