Lar: In principle I agree w/you. I do not believe either party wishes a legal confrontation... least fo all VZ. Only one pointer puzzles me. .. why the delay in a resolution... note that none of the three companies are making any factual progress.

some pointers for discussion below

i) There is one thing I am convinced of... they cannot get rid of KRY w/o exposing themselves internationally ( or they would have done it already).... at this time it is vital for El Comandante (EC) not to weaken even further his position... he desperately needs international firms to get VZ oil out of the ground.

ii) EC is waiting for something !!. not sure what... some sort of deal w/someone to bring this status quo to and end. Perhaps the big boys EC is dealing with are also waiting to see if he survives in power before they commit to some sort of agreement with VZ.

As I said it before, low oil prices will bring AC down faster... but his clock is ticking already... At that point the chances for all real miner will improve substantially... but not sure about timing.

E-G