CFK, Mujica meet over non-automatic licenses

President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner and her Uruguayan counterpart José Mujica agreed on the construction of a re-gasification plant during a meeting held at the Olivos presidential residence.

Both governments released a joint communiqué in which they confirmed the construction of a bi-national re-gasification plant that will allow “10 million cubic metres per day – that could expand to 15 million – to provide both countries of natural gas for the next fifteen years starting from 2013.”

The agreement was also signed by Argentina’s Planning Minister Julio de Vido and Uruguay’s interim Industry, Energy and Mining Minister, Edgardo Ortuño.

Nevertheless, the communiqué did not mention if the presidents discussed the non-automatic licenses applied by the Argentine government.

Earlier in the week, the head of the foreign commerce committee from Uruguay’s CIU industrial chamber, Rafael Sanguinetti, said that the measure was “unfair,” according to declarations to the Uruguayan media.

Uruguay has argued that the application of non-automatic licenses “goes against the Mercosur spirit.”

Mrs. Fernández de Kirchner and Mr. Mujica met for half an hour and were later joined by Mr. De Vido, Argentine Industry Minister Débora Giorgi and Foreign Minister Héctor Timerman, and by Mr. Ortuño and Deputy Foreign Minister, Roberto Conde.