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Mining sector is in intensive care: Espinoza

The president of the Chamber of Mines today called on the Government to quickly reveal the new plans for the sector. Mining responsible-assured-is "totally paralysed".
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Quito, EFE

The president of the Chamber of Mines of Ecuador, Cesar Espinoza, said today that the formal mining in the country is in "intensive care" and called on the Government to quickly reveal the new plans for the sector.

Espinoza regretted that in his view, mining progresses in the country is that develops from illegally and without the necessary precautions for the proper care and social environment.

Mining responsible-assured-is "totally paralysed", is "really in a coma in intensive care at the moment, hoping the goodwill of the Government to teach us where we want to walk in the mining issue."

Espinoza criticized reversion to the State of thousands of concessions allegedly made without complying with legal requirements and the six-month suspension of all mining activities in the country, decisions made by the Constituent Assembly last April.

The suspension of activities will cease when, in October next, enters into force a new law that paves the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum.

Espinoza expressed concern at the possibility that the referendum to be submitted to the proposed new Constitution on Sept. 28 delayed the delivery of law.

"We do not have even the first draft of that document," said to ensure that "logically, companies with the resources are stuffed into a current account (bank) waiting for them to the country an opportunity to make investments that were planned ".

The president of the Chamber of Mines equated the current situation in Ecuador to Bolivia, because, in his view, the country is divided and there is authoritarianism and lack of tolerance.

Ecuador is "boliviarizándose on that division, that ruptured relations between the brothers themselves Ecuadorians where that happens to him to express his judgement passes what happened in the (University) Catholic Guayaquil)," said Espinoza.

He recalled a gresca in which demonstrators were involved in the "no" to the new constitution in the referendum and the police, a fact which is under judicial investigation.