Crystallex International

The auriferous deposit the Cristinas, located to the south of the state Bolivar was nationalized. National Head of State Hugo Chavez informed into the decision in the middle of his euroasiática tour, just before starting off of Belarus, and remembered that also the project Breezes of the Cuyuní will be under the trusteeship of the Ministry of Basic Industries and Mining. The mine the Cristinas, located in the Sifontes municipality, to the south of the state Bolivar, is considered one of the greatest gold mines of Latin America with proven reserves of 31 million ounces.

Natalie Garci'a
ngarcia@correodelcaroni.com
Photo William Urdaneta

The commentary of a possible nationalization of the project the Cristinas, into the hands of transnational the Canadian Crystallex, happened to be rumor to reality.

Nevertheless, the news has great implications in the mining area because the Cristinas, located in the Sifontes municipality, to the south of the state Bolivar, is considered one of the greatest gold mines of Latin America with proven reserves of 31 million ounces that include/understand the concession of Crystallex and the one of Gold Reserve, seizure the past year.

“The Cristinas, that mine is Venezuelan and they had given transnational companies; announcement to the world that reclaimed the revolutionary government, as well as the mine the Breezes, those mineral resources are for the Venezuelans, does not stop the transnational companies”, were the words of the agent chief executive on the matter reiterating the measurement against Gold Reserve, in the project Breezes.

In relation to this last one, the company is demanding to the Venezuelan Be in favor of such action and requests like indemnification a very important sum in dollars. The case is in phase of conciliation.

Waiting for instructions
Sources related to the Ministry of Basic Industries and Mining (Mibam) revealed that there is no major information on the matter and that they will hope at that the agent chief executive arrives at Venezuela and gives the pertinent instructions to make the taking of the auriferous facilities.

Until now Crystallex seems not to have given by found out the situation and in his official page it did not appear, until this Monday to the closing of this edition, any uprising.

In previous opportunities when the ex- minister of the Mibam Rodolfo Sanz said that the deposit would be taken in the 2009, the mining left to the step denying such thing and reaffirming that the contract that maintained with the Venezuelan Government had been terminated nor notified they.

Crystallex owned a concession of exploration and it had not been able to obtain the environmental permissions for the operation of gold in the zone. The granting of the mining contract to this transnational one was done while the present governor of the organization, Francisco Rangel Go'mez, presided over the Venezuelan Corporation of Guayana (CVG).

Social reality
About 15 million dollars were given by this document and still the settlers of the south, especially those of the Claritas where it is the deposit wait by investments in the matter of services like water, electrical energy, sewage networks and others.

Crystallex fulfilling part of the special advantages of its mining contract has invested in areas like health, treatment of water and sewers, but this has been considered insufficient for the magnitude of the mining operation that was going to be realised in the zone.

Part of those reclamations motivated a manifestation from hundreds of miners in main the 10, which went reason to judge the elect mayor of the Sifontes municipality, Carlos Chancellor, condemned by this case to more than 7 years of prison.

As it is to notice the nationalization of the deposit is surrounded by controversial subjects with many economic and social implications, in a zone where in spite of the immense wealth that there are in the ground which more it abounds is the necessity.

Urgent operation

Whatever destiny of the project the Cristinas, the settlers of the South zone of the state Bolivar which wants is that this it is initiated once and for all generating more than 3 thousand 500 direct uses that would come to benefit to thousands from families who at present survive “hard pains” by the illegal operation of gold in the adyacencias of the concession and within this one in areas that already were worked for many years.

In spite of this and when coming out of the Canadian company, sources of the Ministry of Basic Industries and Mining, commented that possibly after the taking of the facilities of Crystallex a Chinese company would enter the play that would work jointly with the Venezuelan State through one firma2 mixed, similar to the conformed one by Venezuela and Russia in (Venrus, a.c.) also in the south of the state Bolivar.