Bishops to mediate in long-running Uruguayan pulp mill dispute

Published: 2006-04-18

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (CNS) -- Argentine and Uruguayan bishops have accepted an invitation from Argentine President Nestor Kirchner to mediate a bitter dispute over the construction of two pulp mills in Uruguay that opponents say will cause severe environmental damage. The long-running dispute over construction of the $1.7 billion plants in the Uruguayan town of Fray Bentos has soured relations between the two countries. Protesters have blocked bridges over the Uruguay River, which forms the border between Argentina and Uruguay and which opponents say will be poisoned if construction of the two mills proceeds. During the Easter weekend, Kirchner opened the way for bishops from the two South American neighbors to broker dialogue. "I would be delighted if the two churches could help," he told the Argentine newspaper Clarin. No formal church mediation has yet been scheduled, but Father Jose Luis Sanchis, parish priest in Fray Bentos, said there had been informal contacts between clerics in both countries, and there was a willingness to foster talks.

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