I agree having the money sooner is a big benefit to us, BUT our asset is an even bigger benefit to the buyer with gold doing what it's doing. Watching the gold price will highlite the folly of their ways and they'll bend to the pressure if they want to mine Las Cristinas.

EZ...there is only one flaw in that logic. Correct me if I'm wrong but no one on this board knows what kind of unprofitable terms Venezuela may be planning on imposing on a potential buyer. We all heard about the silly terms Vz imposed regarding forced gold sales to the central bank. Not very good optics at all about how a buyout offer might be reduced by the potentially onerous terms inflicted on a potential buyer....notwithstanding the fact that the buyer may have the requisite communist pedigree.

I know...I know..."then it is on to arbitration!". Fine....my point is that Fung may take less than the 2 billion "due us" if he knows that the buyout entity is looking at a low profit margin....all in the context of how much of a discount we are willing to accept just to get the F*ck out of Vz and avoid all of the costs and (yes) uncertainties associated with International Arbitration.