OK. Before anyone calls me a negative basher for saying this JV and permit may not be the "done deal" we hope it is, I asked earlier about the Chavez timing of his Russian statement for a reason.

According to KRY in Sept and Dec of 2009 Chinese officials (China Railway etc and China Govt officials) met with Chavez to get his nod of approval for a JV. And then there was another meeting in May of 2010.

We're told they got the "sign offs" they were looking for.

So........if China and KRY got the "sign offs" they were looking for in late summer of 2009 then why was Chavez telling the world in late 2009 and early 2010 that the Russians would mine Las Cristinas in a JV?

I think that's a legitimate question and I've posed it to Richard Marshall.

Cividale