Ecuador mining ban lifted
Deputy Secretary of Mines, José Serrano, said the Kinross and current projects
are "considered as a priority investment by the government."

Quito. Ecuador lifted the ban on the operations of Canadian mining and
Kinross Current, Reuters said on Tuesday at the assistant secretary of mine,
Jose Serrano.

Ecuador in April banned all mining operations to curb speculation in land and
the growing protests from environmentalists in some provinces.

The official also said that the draft Kinross, Current, International Minerals
and Iamgold are "considered as a priority investment by the government."

Serrano added that the country's agreements with the mining and extraction is
the beginning of negotiations with at least two firms in late 2009.

In January, Ecuador approved a new mining law that increased government control over an industry that in recent years has attracted scores of foreign firms to explore for precious metals.

Taxes, in each case. In an exclusive dialogue with Reuters, Serrano said that
the tax on gains, the high price of metals on the international market, fixed to
each of the mines.

"Earnings are going to determine what overtime in the (...) we want to increase
prices when corporate profits are reasonable but that the state has a specific
benefit," he said.

"We'll have to look at the structure of each project, can not be an overall
theme," he said.

The official said that when there are no plans to exploit the Junin copper
deposit, located north of the country and which has been the rejection of its
inhabitants.

Ecuador does not have a high level mining, but some companies have found large
deposits of copper, gold and silver in the south.