most of the provinces of agrentina (including those where pirquitas and diablillos happen to be) welcome mining:

In an analysis published Thursday, Hallgarten & Company Equities Strategist Christopher Ecclestone said bad press generated by uninformed media sources gives "the impression of some sort of monolithic resistance to mining activities" in the country of Argentina.

Rather Ecclestone contends that "Argentina's openness to mining is not in doubt. The quirky Kirchners are in love with the mining industry." Instead, Ecclestone suggests mining and exploration companies should pay more attention to the attitudes of an individual province toward mining.

The best provinces for mining and exploration are Jujuy (where Silver Standard has just opened its flagship Pirquitas silver mine), Catamarca (where the Bajo de la Alumbrera mine has been operating for 10 years), San Juan ("with a myriad of miners moving and shaking"), Salta which is open to exploration and development, and Santa Cruz ("where a swathe of precious metals mines and projects are moving ahead").

http://www.mineweb.com/mineweb/view/...