That is one reason why in April Metsa-Botnia, a Finnish company, began building a cellulose plant on the Uruguay River bordering Argentina.

ECONOMIST: A battle over foreign investment

Moreover, they complain that the Metsa-Botnia installation will not use the cleanest available production technology, meaning that it may emit potentially carcinogenic dioxins.

ECONOMIST: A battle over foreign investment

The Finnish company Botnia, which is building the factory on the bank of the Uruguay River that separates the two countries, says it will be perfectly safe.

BBC: Last Updated: Friday, 3 March 2006, 04:00 GMT

This vast plant, opened last year by Botnia, a Finnish company, added 1.8% to the country's GDP while producing no evidence of the feared pollution which has led Argentine protesters to block a border bridge for the past three years, hurting Uruguay's economy.

ECONOMIST: Money flows eastwards