March 2006
During their respective state visits to Chile on 11 March, on the occasion of the inauguration of President Michelle Bachelet, Presidents Néstor Kirchner and Tabaré Vázquez met and discussed the situation personally. They jointly asked the participants for the suspension of both the construction of the pulp mills and the road blocks, in order to discuss the matter. Two new meetings were scheduled, to take place in Anchorena, Uruguay, and Mar del Plata, Argentina. In the following days, President Vázquez received harsh criticism from the political opposition, and backtracked publicly stating that Uruguay "will not negotiate under pressure". The Gualeguaychú Environmental Assembly met with Governor Busti to hear the proposal, but then decided to keep the blockade for the moment and reconsider.
On 16 March, a demonstration of about 10,000 participants was held in Fray Bentos, Uruguay for the pulp mills. The participants defended their rights and the sovereignty of Uruguay.
Read more about this topic: Pulp Mill Dispute
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