ARGENTINA BACKS OFF BOTNIA PROTEST

UNCLAS BUENOS AIRES 000082

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL SENV PBTS ASEC CASC AR
SUBJECT: ARGENTINA BACKS OFF BOTNIA PROTEST

REF: 08 BUENOS AIRES 1717


1. (SBU) Summary: After allowing protesters to block the main
bridge between Argentina and Uruguay for over two years, the
Government of Argentina has reversed course and begun to
express opposition to the protest. The Kirchner-allied
governor of Entre Rios in December made headlines by
conceding that there was no evidence that the Botnia paper
plant in Uruguay was polluting the river or air, ostensibly
the original cause for the protest. The governor's
statements were quickly backed up by several GOA officials,
culminating with former president Nestor Kirchner's
revisionist statement that he and his government had never
supported the roadblocks. The bridge at Gualeguaychu remains
blocked, however, as the GOA appears inclined to use moral
suasion rather than force to disperse the protesters who, for
the time being, remain camped on the bridge. Speculation is
that the GOA's reversal may be a belated effort to win GOU
support for Nestor Kirchner's bid to lead UNASUR. End
summary.


2. (SBU) Over two years after Argentines living in
Gualeguaychu, Entre Rios, shut down the main bridge between
Argentina and Uruguay ostensibly to protest the construction
of a paper mill on the Uruguayan side of the river that
separates the two nations, the Government of Argentina has
begun to express opposition to the protest. In December, the
Kirchner-allied governor of Entre Rios, Sergio Urribarri,
publicly acknowledged there was no evidence that the
Finnish-owned Botnia paper mill in Uruguay, over a year after
it had begun operating, was contaminating the air or water
beyond acceptable levels. Urribarri also questioned the
effectiveness of the protest, noting that cutting ff bridge
traffic had not impeded the Botnia plant's construction nor
the commencment of its operations. He said the protest had,
however, hurt the Gualeguaychu and Entre Rios economies.


3. (SBU) Although leaders of the dwindling protest objected
to Urribarri's statements, GOA Cabinet Chief Sergio Massa
publicly weighed in January 2, backing up Urribarri and
noting the protest had outlived its purpose. He said the
protesters should cease and desist. Minister of Justice
Anibal Fernandez, another major GOA spokesman, quickly jumped
into the fray, asserting the roadblock was illegal. The head
of the National Institute of Industrial Technology (INTI),
Enrique Martinez, said INTI had been monitoring air and water
quality upstream and downstream of the Botnia plant but had
no evidence of contamination beyond acceptable levels.


4. (SBU) Former president Nestor Kirchner announced January
15 that he and his government had "never" supported the
roadblocks protesting the Botnia paper mill. Kirchner's
revisionism was instantly challenged by media reports of his
2006 visit to Gualeguaychu, when he encouraged the
environmentalists to pursue their protest and called it a
"national cause."


5. (U) The San Martin bridge at Gualeguaychu -- the closest
to Buenos Aires and heretofore the primary border crossing
between Argentina and Uruguay -- remains closed to traffic
after over two years. The protesters failed over the January
17-18 weekend to deliver on their threats to shut down either
of the other two bridges upstream from Gualeguaychu, as they
have sporadically done over the last two years. Although the
GOA has now made clear its opposition to the Gualeguaychu
roadblock and called it illegal, its reversal remains
rhetorical, as it does not appear inclined to use security
forces to re-open the bridge.


6. (SBU) Comment: The GOA's change of heart on the
Gualeguaychu protest may be in recognition of its futility
and the damage it has caused local businesses and Argentine
travellers. There has also been some speculation
that the GOA reversal may be an effort to repair damaged ties
with Uruguay and win GOU support (per reftel) for Nestor
Kirchner's bid for the secretary general position at the helm
of the new UNASUR bloc of South American nations.

WAYNE