NewsWhore
04-23-2010, 02:20 PM
The Conference of the Dominican Episcopate of Catholic Church bishops has asked the government for an explanation into the contract signed with Canadian mining company Barrick Gold. The Conference wants President Leonel Fernandez to explain the implications of the contract for the country and the province of Sanchez Ramirez (Cotui). The bishops are also insisting that the Dominican people need to know if there is any chance of revising the contract.
The bishops say that experiences in gold mining in other countries teach us that clear rules are needed. "If the Dominican state is responsible for repairing environmental damage, if this and any other concessionaire leaves without fulfilling what was stipulated in the contract, then it will be the state that will have to deal with the issue, not the people," they set out in a written statement.
Furthermore, the Episcopate is asking: "What will be the impact once the extraction has begun, and above all, how will these be handled?"
See www.ced.org.do for the complete document.
In today's editorial, El Dia newspaper writes that Senate president Reinaldo Pared Perez has said that the National Congress could not modify the signed contract. According to Pared, a unilateral change in the contract would place the DR at a disadvantage in an international arbitration court.
The newspaper asks what compensation would the country receive for the expected environmental damage, and calls for a conciliation process to prevent future environmental damage.
The contract was fast-tracked through the PLD majority Congress.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#6)
The bishops say that experiences in gold mining in other countries teach us that clear rules are needed. "If the Dominican state is responsible for repairing environmental damage, if this and any other concessionaire leaves without fulfilling what was stipulated in the contract, then it will be the state that will have to deal with the issue, not the people," they set out in a written statement.
Furthermore, the Episcopate is asking: "What will be the impact once the extraction has begun, and above all, how will these be handled?"
See www.ced.org.do for the complete document.
In today's editorial, El Dia newspaper writes that Senate president Reinaldo Pared Perez has said that the National Congress could not modify the signed contract. According to Pared, a unilateral change in the contract would place the DR at a disadvantage in an international arbitration court.
The newspaper asks what compensation would the country receive for the expected environmental damage, and calls for a conciliation process to prevent future environmental damage.
The contract was fast-tracked through the PLD majority Congress.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#6)