Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Pascua Lama: Strong signal to start the Barrick mine The founder of the firm, Peter Munk,





Pascua Lama: Strong signal to start the Barrick mine

The founder of the firm, Peter Munk, met yesterday with the president, 1 hours and Gioja. The outcome is imminent.

FRom
SILVINA PESTARINO Y ELIZABETH PÉREZ - DIARIO DE CUYO


http://www.diariodecuyo.com.ar/home/new_noticia.php?noticia_id=337304

It was an unprecedented meeting. And heavy weights on the one hand, President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, on the other, no less than the maximum founder and chairman of Barrick Gold Corporation, Peter Munk. It was the first time the octogenarian businessman came to the country to meet with the president to talk about the gold mine Pascua Lama Binational located half in San Juan, half in the Third Region of Chile.

Its onset is awaited with great expectation, the mine is the largest in Latin America and will mean an investment of more than U $ S 3,000 million, and apparently yesterday's meeting left more signs that the outcome will be in imminent " I think we will soon have good news, "slipped briefly Gioja.

Officially, the governor told Gioja leaving Casa Rosada who spoke of the characteristics of the enterprise that Cristina was known with certainty, the potential for the region, the tasks that were made from San Juan in time to prevent the initiative is Only the Chilean side and work sharing in commissions and committees to agree on next steps. "What is to expedite the project," said the governor.

And Barrick merely state that the meeting "is part of the meetings with our company has been carrying for some time in both Chile and Argentina, said in a statement Rodrigo Jimenez, Vice-President of Corporate Affairs Barrick.

But undoubtedly, the owner of Barrick with the top executives of the company have traveled to the Casa Rosada to discuss the project is a clear signal of its imminent commencement.

Munk came to the meeting held at 19.30 at the Government House argentina, the chairman and chief executive Aaron Regent, who made it a surprise visit to San Juan last February (see page 3) -, the senior vice president Corporate Affairs Dushnisky Kelvin, and the agent in Buenos Aires, Hernan Zaballa.

According to the governor Gioja course, was to achieve the explicit support of central government to the project: There was talk of the investment costs at a time where there is a deep economic crisis and the international differences in tax matters that have slowed the start of the project . Not to mention the criticism that the project raises environmental, although the impact studies were approved in both jurisdictions.

The governor revealed Gioja then they are going to find players with President Bachelet in Chile, next week.

But the truth is that what transpired is paid in February here in San Juan: That will be announced the commencement this month to begin work in September. And the latter is that if the notice is made in San Juan and Buenos Aires, in this case the presence of President Cristina Kirchner or perhaps together in Chile and Argentina.

Yesterday, also attended the meeting were Minister of Planning Julio De Vido, the National Secretary of Mining, Jorge Mayoral and the Minister of Production, Débora Giorgi.

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