◄ Hugo Chavez once more has played nasty games with North American firms. Venezuela plans to build large scale mines at its giant gold deposits with Russian cooperation. The new plans constitute an abandonment of Crystallex, even a likely expropriation, as the permit process has been held up on the prized Las Cristinas project for environmental reasons. Typical Chavez tactics, this time with vague reference to the betrayed Crystallex, whose relationship has been rescinded. The Cristinas property contains one of the biggest gold deposits in all of Latin America. A grand accord with the Russian mining company Rusoro was made firm into a contract, whose signing took place with a Russian delegation. Rusoro will operate both the Cristinas and Brisas projects, according to Venezuelan mining minister Rodolfo Sanz. Again in vague terms, Rusoro will have full access to both projects. North American mining firms are slowly being weeded out, as Hecla sold out at heavy loss its Venezuelan subsidiaries to Rusoro. Chavez is regarded as speeding up mine development in response to a severe decline in the crude oil price, and consequent hits to revenues.