Corea comments on mining in Ecuador.
17 of March of 2007, 19h59
Strap notices on a "civil war" between communities and mining companies
Quito, 17 sea (EFE). - The Ecuadorian president, Rafael Strap, noticed today that he could untie to a species of "civil war" between communities seated in mining zones and the companies that operate the deposits.
Strap, in its habitual Saturday radial program, announced that in the next days it will emit a decree of "national mobilization" of the public force, to take care of "the very serious" problem mining, as well as to fight the fuel contraband.
"the mining problem is very serious and we have sectors where we are on the brink of madness a civil war", remarcó Strap, after admitting that serious confrontations between settlers and mining companies have taken place.
In Ecuador they exist more than 3,700 mining concessions.
"All the country is concesionado" and, in some places, the mayors "must ask permission the miners to make sewage system. That is an absurd one ", remarked Strap.
It assured that the conflict comes from a law approved in 1990, that it encouraged the mining concessions, but indicated that those businesses in the last 16 years have only reported to the State less than 22 million dollars.
"we have received no benefit of that (the mining), neither the State nor the population, and that is going to have to be disassembled", it pointed the agent chief executive, and it indicated that the Constituent Assembly that promotes its government will have to change the mining laws.
It reiterated that in its administration the "Ministry of Mines" will be created, after indicating that the law that encourages the mining concessions was elaborated with a credit of the World Bank, which will be reviewed by his government, that it thinks that that loan is part of a "debt ilegítima".
Strap said, also, that the decree of mobilization of the public force also will try to restrain the fuel contraband towards neighboring countries like Colombia, Peru, and even to Panama.
It assured that between 2004 and 2005, during the government of ex- president Lucio Gutiérrez, a crisis by the fuel contraband appeared, since in that period the gasoline import, in volume, "grew 40 percents, when the economy grew only the three percent".
"That is inaudito", it affirmed to Strap, and remarcó that, "is clear" that that increase of the fuel import did not go to take care of the demand internal, "but for the contraband".
Strap indicated that the mobilization decree will try to avoid that gangster groups embark the fuel subsidized by the State, to sell it like contraband to countries like Peru and Panama, where the cost of gasolines is much greater to the one of Ecuador.
"That we are not going it to tolerate more", added Strap, on time to affirm that one calculates that the fuel contraband harms to the country between 300 and 500 million annual dollars.
It remembered that the problem of the fuel contraband was analyzed recently by the National Security Council and said that there is "a plan coordinated" between the Ministry of Energy, the state company Petroecuador and the troopses, that it looks for "to capture" the smugglers.
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This is not the first time that they have said the mining laws need to be reviewed. I think many here agree that Acosta's first mention of this back in January or early February most here were not surprised that somethings would change including the no-taxes approach that is presently the status quo.
This is however the first time that Correa/Strap has tied the constituent assembly to this new Ministry of Mines, that may not be a bad thing, I believe that if it is preplanned as part of the proceedings then the rhetoric from the nationalists and Special Interest Groups will be kept to a minimum during the Constituent assembly meetings.
If they can go as far as to draft a new legislation that is tabled for discussion that will be the best case scenario in my opinion. if it is left open for everyones input then "Houston we have a problem."
The problems mentioned are not relative to ARU but a new mining law is relevant to every miner in the country and every miner thinking about coming into the country. All of course IMHO.
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