Uruguayan Foreign Affairs Minister Luis Almagro highlighted his country is to seek a closure to the conflict it maintains with Argentina, due to the installment of Botnia paper-mill plant, "in the best way possible," the president's website announced.

According to the minister, tomorrow's meeting, to be held in Buenos Aires City with his Argentine counterpart, Héctor Timerman, will serve to nail down the compromise acquired by the presidents of both countries, José Mujica and Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, during the gathering held after the Hague International Court's ruling on the paper-mill was made known.

In this sense, the diplomat pointed to reaching a pre-agreement that would comply with the Uruguay River statutes and with the Court's ruling, in which the possibility of incorporating Brazil in the joint monitoring of the river has been rejected "from the beginning." "We want to close this issue in the best way possible, finish what both parts have committed to and that which comes up from the Hague ruling, that is to say, cooperate for the joint control of the plant," Almagro assured.

Also, the official pointed out that the claim of the Gualeguaychú environmentalists to actively participate in the control of the paper-mill will not be taken into consideration, since it is something that "does not appear" in any of the Argentine proposals.

The Gualeguaychú assembly decided to lift the roadblock, with which they have denied access to the neighbouring city of Fray Bentos since November 2006, on June 19 for 60 days, as they await the negotiations between Argentina and Uruguay for the joint control of the river's administration. However, the environmentalists warned they could retake the roadblock if the meeting between both officials goes sour.

(Buenos Aires Herald, 20/07/2010)