Good observation Moola. I suppose we should stick with the facts (as difficult as it is to separate them from fiction in a place located on the other side of the "looking glass"). It is also a fact that even KRY management felt it necessary to request a formal clarification from our "business partner" (Mibam) regarding the veracity of last weeks media reports. We all await Mibam's response so we can stop idling away the hours with more endless theories about what is going on with the future of our investment in this sad excuse for a country. Even though any official response must be vetted through the Venezuelan "bullsh!t police" I can't see where it should take that much time or require the parsing of too many words for our business partner to respond. After all....we have always been a good corporate and social citizen and upheld all of our contractual obligations over the years right?

BTW...I'm not holding my breath for a response from Mibam. I think the clarification of this latest media clusterf*ck will come in the form of a proposed low ball "deal". Mibam's objective has been achieved (with the help of our friend Ortega over at Minamb) ....a dirt cheap shareprice for KRY as the basis for renegotiation of contract terms. Remember...Ortega and Sanz dance to Hugo's tune. Now really...do you think Hugo's goal is to pay more or less (or alternately...to make less profit or more profit) for any deal related to Las Cristinas. I think anyone who believes that the endless delays, permit refusal by Ortega and this latest "slip of the lip" by Sanz was anything other than intentionally orchestrated at the behest of Hugo Chavez (notwithstanding the unparalelled incompetence and corruption of Venezuelan state bureaucrats) is naive. This is the Venezuelan way of doing business. It will never change....not in our investing lifetimes anyway. That's why the 'experts' all say Venezuela is "radioactive".