"Mr. Garza-Aldape said changes to Mexican legislation in the 1990s that allowed foreign companies to own 100 per cent of mining operations has been an integral part of Mexico's success in attracting mining investment."

On the preceding point, I wanted to quickly mention how poor employment was in the mining industry before mining reform legislation was implemented. As mentioned elsewhere in the article, mines are typically located in remote villages and provide a key source of jobs for the local economies.

Bearing this in mind a whole host of mines shut down not only due to the twin decade decline in commodities but also as a result of Leftist legislation that squeezed profitability down to a point where many operations were no longer viable. People were promised they would prosper from these "Socially responsible" mining laws as "greedy corporations" would be forced to hand over the bulk of their net profits.

Sounds good on the surface and in theory, but in practice net revenues from mining operations crashed putting thousands of indigenous Mexicans out of work for years on end. Fortunately these not so fond memories are burned in the minds of today's Mexican parents/grandparents who lived through the experience, appreciate the stellar growth in jobs now provided by a booming mining industry and will not support any future proposals to reenact the same harmful laws again. Potential investors need to appreciate that Mexico is not another Venezuela and their investments will remain safe and sound in this mining-friendly country for the forseeable future.

ESL