The auriferous deposit the Cristinas, one of richest of Latin America, will be assumed by the Russian companies Rustech and Rusoro Mining, as soon as the situation with the transnational Crystallex is solved and clarified.

Natalie Garci'a
ngarcia@correodelcaroni.com
Photo William Urdaneta

The Cristinas is in the sight of the mining companies, and its destiny now seems to be clearer but in Russian hands

The announcement of such decision will be done, presumably, during the inauguration of the incline Simon Bolivar, located in the Sifontes municipality, into the hands of the Soviet company, which it will attend president Hugo Chavez.

In telephone conversation with the high international manager of Rusoro Mining, Andre Agapov, this one affirmed that they will be participating in the Cristinas, but to go deep in detail it sent to the reporteril equipment to talk with Andrea Padovani, another manager of Rusoro but in Venezuela, that has until now not answered this metropolitan newspaper.

Fabric that to cut
However, still being assigned a new concessionaire in the Cristinas that also includes/understands the project Breezes of the Cuyuní, it is to solve the subject of Crystallex, and the contract that this one has signed with the Venezuelan Corporation of Guayana (CVG), that is the one that yielded the rights to him of exploration and commercialization of gold of considered deposit one of richest of Latin America.

The Canadian paid 15 million dollars to the CVG, when this one was presided over by the governing today of the state Bolivar Francisco Rangel Go'mez, and in past days national Head of State informed of the aim into this concession through a decision of “nationalization”, that is not so because the Venezuelan State reserve for himself all the right ones on the minerals that are in the ground and subsoil.

Such situation has generated commotion international because differentiation between “nationalization” and “expropriation” does not exist. At Mail of the Caroní questions have arrived on the matter from publication journalists like VHeadline, soliciing the clarifying one of this specific point because the news has been taken like the announcement of the “expropriation from the deposit to the Canadian Crystallex”.

According to sources of the Ministry of Basic Industries and Mining (Mibam) the contract of CVG with the Canadian “grants more rights the transnational one that the same rights that the previous Ministry of Energy and Mines that it gave to the CVG to administer the deposit, therefore the contract would have null of invalidity”.

This would mean that the decision done by president Chávez is substantiated on a legal conflict where the CVG “would have exceeded in their competition” to lead the exploration and operation of the mining concession the Cristinas.

Legal frame
Combined to this Decree 1,757 published the 7 of May of the 2002 it establishes that “reserve to the national Executive, by organ of the Ministry of Energy and Mines, the direct exercise of the exploration and operation of the gold mineral that is in the located deposits in the areas of the expired and extinguished gold concessions denominated 6 Cristina 4, Cristina 5, Cristina and Cristina 7, located in jurisdiction of the Sifontes municipality of the State Bolivar”.

Therefore, and according to this legal document the granting of the Cristinas to Crystallex must not have produced because this contract was authenticated the 17 of September of the 2002 before the Public Notary's office Fourth of Ordaz Port under the number 16-Take 86, almost 4 months after published the decree that prevented the administration of the mine by beings other people's to the national Executive.

In spite of this to date there is no no other decision, aside from the seizure by president Chávez, to correct the breach of the decree. Equal would happen to Rusoro Mining if the State gives its permission so that this one along with RusTech is the worker of the concession clearing the power to the national Executive.

This means that of to be certain the declarations on the matter of the entrance of the Soviet capital to the deposit, this it will be under a figure in which the Venezuelan State conserves the ownership and is an alliance not only with the Russians but with the participation of national companies like Minerven, Venrus that is mixed and the National Miner.

Expectations in door

Whatever company that begins to operate the deposit the Cristinas, located to the south of the state Bolivar and considered one of richest of Latin America, the adjacent towns to this one like the Claritas, Kilometer 88, Dorado and Tumeremo hope that finally the prosperity arrives at its earth.

Although there are million ounces of proven gold reserves under grounds of the Sifontes municipality, like it also happens in locality of Callao and Guasipati to the south of Bolivar, the inhabitants they lack the basic services and they would seem to be forgotten the organization, being for many one of the greatest contradictions.

It is for that reason that the opening of the deposit brings many expectations by the possibility that they are generated more than 3,500 uses and a great movement towards that zone so depressed and affected by the application of mining alternatives to attack the illegality.