Uruguay to take Argentine paper mill protesters to Mercosur, Hague courts

Uruguay will take environmentalists protesting the construction of paper factories in Uruguay, to the court of the Southern Common Market (Mercosur), and the Hague International Court, Foreign Minister Reinaldo Gargano said Friday.

The Argentine protestors have been blocking two border bridges with Uruguay for several weeks, complaining the planned cellulose plants would pollute the Uruguay River shared by the two nations.

Their actions violated the Asuncion Treaty, which calls for the free circulation of goods and people, Gargano said.

The minister said he would call for an immediate meeting of Mercosur's council to discuss the matter. Mercosur groups Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay.

The Finnish firm Botnia -- joint owner of the plants with Spain's Ence -- had agreed to suspend plant construction for 10 days, for an environmental impact study.

But it was much less than the 90 days demanded by Argentina, triggering renewed tension between the two neighbors.

Uruguay would also send the case to the International Court of Justice in the Hague, which Gargano said was "a violation of international law."

The two plants are Uruguay's single largest foreign direct investment project, costing 1.8 billion U.S. dollars and generating around 1,000 jobs.

Source: Xinhua