"Also if Hugo has promised China the permit do you for one second think he would jerk them around?"

I'm sorry but that's a big "if".

I too believe the Chinese would not have gone this far if they had not gotten some kind of assurances from Ven but the question is....exactly what kind of assurances did they get and from whom.

At the same time Hugo was supposedly giving promises to the Chinese he was also publicly telling the world the Russians would mine LC.

So who can you believe?

I'd feel a lot more comfortable if the Chinese confirmed that they had gotten assurances from Chavez. But that ain't gonna happen.

Therefore we sit and wait as the price drifts down.

Cividale