April 22, 2008
Prime investor of the state mining would IESS

Yesterday took place in Quito marched in support of the Mandate Miner, then on Friday that the Assembly approve the text.

He said Galo Chiriboga, who introduced the draft Executive Decree

The Minister of Mines, Galo Chiriboga, sent to the President the draft executive decree for the creation of the Empresa Nacional Minera del Ecuador (ENAM), with its own assets and economic and financial autonomy, and where it points to as the first IESS investor as well as other public entities.

"This is a mechanism in which one can safely invest the resources of IESS," said ministro.El IESS may invest, for example, cement and inorganic fertilizer and in the future in other markets, "because in country there is the idea that investments come from insurance, with the necessary assurances. "

The creation of the company, which must conform to the law of Public Enterprises which is treated in the future, does not mean nationalization of resources, asegur?.Uno of the first projects to be undertaken is the state mining exploration and exploitation of gold, silver and copper, the first in underground and opencast third.

The minister also presented the draft amendments to the Mining Law of 113 items that the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum submitted to the Assembly.

As a matter of Chiriboga, the basis of the new law is the principle of inalienable and imprescriptible of natural resources and exploitation in terms of national interests.

The Mandate Mining approved by the National Constituent Assembly Reverte 1,374 concessions that were in the process, 3.100concesiones in exploration phase, this represents 4,474 concessions reversed.

With the goal of incorporating input into the draft Law, Chiriboga begin next Monday dialogue with the mining sectors, both environmental and business dialogue to be based on the draft.

Meanwhile, more than 200 people in the sectors of Ecuador environmentalists met to discuss the Mandate Mining Prometheus in the theatre of the capital, and then departed in a peaceful march to Government Palace.

Although these sectors supported the Assembly's decision to reverse and extinguish 4,474 mining concessions in favour of the state, disagree with the creation of a publicly owned company with mining and mining on a large scale.

The conclusion of the meeting was the rejection of large-scale mining pollution in the river water, the sources and the groundwater.

The representative of the National Front for People's Health, Abel Avila, raises the creation of a superintendent of the environment and a defender of the environment.

Mining is the key to development
The consultant Luis Herrera, who prepared the diagnosis of the mining situation in Ecuador, which produced the draft of the Mining Act, concluded that the State can not miss mining, as it is a source of income.

"There must be step-metallic mining projects with sustainable development in the area environmentally and economically", advised, but clarified that these projects must go through the relevant studies.

The chairman of the Assembly, Alberto Acosta, said yesterday that although some sectors ensure that the country has lost billions of dollars in future investment, "this is pure speculation" because there was never serious figures, plans or programmes designed to establish what going to happen.

"Even some concessions that they had no environmental impact studies or were totally inadequate, had come to the practices of disrespect to communities with prior consultations Ma?as and had additionally situations where not paid royalties and concessions as extremes of the square and the church of the people, "said Acosta.