Minerals of Mexico for sale in Denver Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit source - "PRENSA NUEVO AMANECER" ********************************************** Kerry Appel is the Director founder of "THE HUMAN BEAN COMPANY" an organization that purchases coffee from the indigenous communities in resistance, and sells it in USA. He is also the producers of several video documentaries on Chiapas, including a lengthy interview with Subcomander Marcos. Mr.Appel is a respected activist and friend of NAP ********************************************* Co-listeros, While the indigenous peoples of Mexico struggle for their rights, this is one of the efforts being made in Denver by the business community to undermine those rights. The USMCOC and the Mayor of Denver are also hosting Chiapas Governor Albores Guillen sometime later this year. Albores will be here to explain to the business community that the conflict in Chiapas has been resolved and that all that the indigenous peoples need now is "foreign investment" and "economic development" to solve all their remaining problems. Of course the Chiapas Coalition will be waging our informational and action campaign against involving the business community, or any part of the Denver community, in the war against indigneous peoples. We could use any help we could get such as the sharing of information or such as members of this list contacting the USMCOC and the Mayor of Denver and letting them know that their involvement with the Mexican government in the sale of indigenous peoples' land and resources is not a good idea. Kerry Appel Chiapas Coaliton of Denver Attachment: Mining in Mexico worth a serious look! Thu, 13 May 1999 11:21:43 -0500 (CDT) by gci1@ix.netcom.com (Gil Cisneros) THE UNITED STATES-MEXICO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE MINING TASK FORCE 720 Kipling, Suite 119 Denver, Colorado 80215, USA Tel: (303)237-7080, Fax: (303)237-5568, gci1@ix.netcom.com www.usmcoc.org Dale Alberts, National Co-Chair Ing. Ramon T. Davila Flores, General Director, Plata Panamericana, National Co-Chair Len Harris, National Co-Chair Eduardo Luna Arellano, Director General, Luismin, National Co-Chair Gil Cisneros, Executive Director (Deeds, not words) US-Mexico Mining Watch: For your information: Mining in Mexico worth a serious look! By Gil Cisneros and P.J. Dinner Imagine sitting on a buried treasure but not having the resources to claim it. Such is the case today in Mexico, a land rich in minerals and metals, but economically disadvantaged when it comes to exploration and development. Due to a recession in the mining industry worldwide, capital is scarce; yet, for those investors who have a long-term vision, Mexico is worth a serious look. An added incentive is that foreign companies, once limited to only partial ownership, may now own 100 percent of the mining property. In April, the U.S.-Mexico Chamber of Commerce Mining Task Force organized a trade mission to take a firsthand look at mining opportunities in the state of Sonora, which provides 32 percent of all the mining production in the country. The state ranks first as copper, gold, molybdenum, barite, graphite and wollastonite producer. It also produces considerable amounts of silver, iron and other nonmetal ores and industrial rock. The enthusiastic reception given to the 35 participants from across the U.S. and Canada u the largest contingent from Colorado u was evidence of the governmentAEs commitment to the mining industry and to the attraction of foreign investment. Our trade mission was based in Hermosillo, the capital of Sonora, where the offices of Dr. Guillermo Salas Piza, Director of Mines for Sonora, and Lic. Cesar Augusto Marcor Ramirez, Director General of SonoraAEs Department of Commerce, had prepared seminars and exhibits, field trips and opportunities for networking. Among the things we learned: Sonora is in better economic shape than the rest of Mexico; there is less poverty and a vast territory for mining, agriculture, or maquillas. The government has geological knowledge of only 23 percent of the territory; the rest is unknown. This leaves the door wide open for exploration. As far as exploitation is concerned, the government is ready and willing to help. Business-friendly programs are available, through the Industrial Development Bank of Mexico, to assist with business plans and feasibility studies, training and development, and to pull together resources for specific development projects. The goal is to promote private enterprise, particularly among small and medium-sized businesses, and to help companies that are on the threshold of going public. The amount of money that is available depends on the type of project, the level of risk, and the participation of other investors. Al Zapanta, president of the U.S.-Mexico Chamber, compared the programs to the SBICs in the United States. Mining is a highly regulated industry all over the world, particularly as it pertains to the environment. According to Dr. Salas, mining in Mexico is oover regulatedoe by the government and could be an impediment to foreign investment. Several members of the mission, however, felt this was not an overwhelming problem and might just be a matter of perspective. For many years, Mexico was very lax in regulating this industry; now that laws have been enacted, the regulations may seem excessive by comparison. Understanding the regulations could be difficult, but there is help at hand. Zapanta noted that Access Mexico, a bilingual database that will be operational on Sept. 30, will help cut through the maze of laws and regulations. The database consists of Mexican environmental laws at federal, state and local levels. It is a reliable, certified database, developed by the U.S.-Mexico Chamber in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Commerce. In addition to forms that can be downloaded, the database will facilitate e-commerce and connections with the appropriate people. Land tenure is a serious problem, pitting the farmers against the miners. The law is not well-defined; consequently, none of the parties know where their rights end and someone elseAEs begins. Salas is optimistic, however, that this problem will be solved. In the meantime, there are 53 foreign owned companies operating mines in Sonora. Apparently, they are willing to live with some uncertainty because of the great potential that lies beneath the ground. The Port of Guaymas is a modern facility, well-equipped to handle shipments in and out of Sonora. There is also room for expansion at such time that market conditions demand. Members of the mission uu which included engineers, environmental companies, construction companies and other services and suppliers uu were treated to a tour of an operating mine. Some of the group were bussed to a gold mine, others to a wollastonite mine. Wollastonite is an industrial mineral, used as a structural filler or component of plastics and cement. The value of a trade mission is that it opens doors that would otherwise remain closed to an individual. The Sonora trade mission was especially fruitful because it facilitated contacts at the highest level of government and with members of the mining community on both sides of the border. The consensus of the group, as we headed for home, was that the trade mission had succeeded in building relationships, knocking down barriers and creating many lasting friendships between Americans and Mexicans. We will have a chance to build on this success uu and return the warm hospitality extended to us uu when members of the Sonora government and mining community come to Denver on a reverse trade mission the week of June 7. Gil Cisneros is the executive director, of the Mining Task Force, US-Mexico Chamber of Commerce, P. J. Dinner is a member of the USMCOC and is the principal of P. J. Dinner Communications ================================================================= NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us 339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 http://www.blythe.org e-mail: nyt@blythe.org ================================================================= nytcamer-05.16.99-23:38:20-17457