Bilateral Relations: Uruguay reopens Argentina border crossings

Yesterday Uruguay reopened two areas bordering Argentina 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)."

Argentina has been challenging the plant at the International Courts of Justice in 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.