The authorities of Conakry cancelled in August the concession on this site located in the area of Savanna, in High Guinea. And of rough negotiations continue, on bottom of financial crisis and threat of world economic recession. Objective: to put in production one of the most important iron ore reserves at the world, 2,25 billion tons.
“The discussions were committed on good bases but the frictions do not fail to arise. The things are not always what we would like that they are. There are evolutions which take shape that it is necessary to correct”, ensures AFP the Guinean Minister for the Mines, Louncény Nabé.
But it hastens to add: “They wish to continue in Guinea and we wish that Rio Tinto continue to evolve/move in Guinea”. According to him, the “problems turn primarily around the retrocession (of part of the concession in the State) and communication of the results of a search”. ( Finance Information City )
“These two problems are on the way to be solved and a solution will be found”, hopes it.
The stakes for this country of West Africa of nine million inhabitants, of which 53% of the population live with the lower part of the poverty line, are enormous. Even if, to date, the exploitation of the basement (Guinea is the first world bauxite exporter) hardly benefitted the inhabitants because of a calamitous management and a corruption generalized since independence of France in 1958.
“A decree (presidential) cancelled the concession such as it existed. But the government did not say: +on does not want any more Rio Tinto+”, specifies the Guinean minister.
The concession which has just been cancelled made 738 km2. “Normally, it is 50% (which must be reassigned) but one always ends up agreeing, the government is not closed on this question”, concludes the minister.
Side of Rio Tinto, one is said “optimistic” while remaining firm. “We conformed to all the law Guinean. One is optimistic and one is opened with the transparent discussion with the State”, explains the communication official of the group with Conakry Jordan Feilders.
On the basis of made agreement, “we invested 300 million dollars and from here the end of the year, we will have invested nearly 400 million dollars in work of exploration”, recalls it.
The mining giant wants consequently “to keep the whole concession in order to make profitable on the long run the investment” of six billion dollars necessary, which includes/understands a railway line of 700 km, a port ore tanker and the construction of the mine.
Rio Tinto already ensures in 2000 to have reassigned 50% of surfaces of exploration in the State, that is to say 738 km2. “So that this project is economically reliable, one needs a great production for large scales”, insists Mr. Feilders. The production must begin in 2013 and rise to 70 million tons per annum.
From this date, the mining giant promises per annum in Guinea 300 million dollars in royalties, 20 million dollars in development funds room and billion dollars of taxes.
Concerning the communication of information to the authorities, “every month, one subjects to the ministry for mines a report/ratio of our geological activities”, ensures Mr. Feilders.
According to him, “to encourage the international investment” in Guinea, it is necessary “to keep legal stability in the recent contracts in the mining sector”.
Me Alpha Diallo, lawyer of several mining companies operating in Guinea increases: “If somebody invests billion and billion, it needs to be protected. And safety, it is not the renegotiation (contracts) every morning”.
0 comments:
Post a Comment