A group of Argentine environmental activists held a demonstration at the Finnish Embassy in the capital Buenos Aires to protest the construction of a pulp mill by the Finnish company Metsä-Botnia in neighbouring Uruguay.
The protesters had come from Gualeguayachú, which is across the Uruguay River from the location of the proposed plant. Leading the group was former carnival queen Evangelina Carrozzo, who made headlines recently with her unexpected scantily-clad appearance at the EU-South America summit in Vienna.
The crowd, estimated at about 300, held their protest to carnival music. They later moved on to the Swedish Embassy to protest plans by Stora Enso to build another pulp mill in Uruguay.
The activists say that they plan to hold new protests in Buenos Aires, targeting banks that are financing the pulp mill projects.
Meanwhile, the Spanish government has denied reports that it would have promised Argentina to suspend construction on a pulp mill being built by the Spanish company Ence near the location of the Botnia plant until a thorough environmental assessment has been made.
Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero says that Spain has made no such promises to Argentine President Nestor Kirchner, and that he has not offered to mediate in the dispute.
