CJR: true, Chavez can keep on promising to the Venezualen people, and they'll keep on listening to him. So we may not get a permit before the election based on that reasoning.

The main reason I think we'll get a permit soon (defined as before the end of the year) is simply because of the Chinese involvement in this whole saga. Now that they have pretty much comitted to the JV (still has to be implemented and voted on, obviously), and they're so involved in other projects in the country, I would imagine they expect nothing less in getting this mine up and running. I would agree with EZ, and others, that at this point, Chavez has his last option in China for any kind of growth/businness/infrstructure development because he's screwed everyone else. He simply cannot, at this point, spend a lot of time pussyfooting around with the Chinese like he has with KRY the last couple of years.