This prompt resumption of work was a direct result of the meeting held this past weekend in the city of Guaranda with the Vice Minister of Government, the Governor of the Province of Bolivar and various politicians including the Regional Director for the Minister of Mines. Government officials held separate meetings with each group to inform them of the position of the President of the Republic and the Vice Minister regarding mining activities in Ecuador. At the meeting, the Vice Minister told each group that the policy of the President of the Republic and of the Minister of Governance is that all mining projects which comply with legal regulations and requirements will have total support of the Government. In the case of Salazar's Project, which has followed all applicable laws, the Government advised that they will give Salazar total support so that Salazar can execute on its ongoing exploration plans. All groups were instructed that they need to understand and abide by the position that the Government outlined. In future, the Government will not tolerate what transpired at Salazar's site and any such violations will be investigated and pursued with the authority and force of the law. There are no guarantees that other issues will not arise in the future, however the strong support of the various government authorities is clearly on the record. The Government stated that they will not allow this to happen again and assured Salazar that it will have full judicial authority on a move forward basis.

To quote President Correa's radio address to the country from this past weekend "Mining yes, but with proper controls, with appropriate consultation with the community, respecting the community, the environment and the State." President Correa indicated that if a company complies with these four points, mining will be welcome in Ecuador.

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