Project Pascua Lama: Against The People, Against the Planet

http://webapp.mcis.utoronto.ca/EventDetails.aspx?eventId=7654

2 years ago was approved by the Chilean government's project
exploitation of gold and silver Pascua Lama, from the
transnational Canadian Barrick Gold Corporation. But its release date still pending until now. Just last week the Barrick gold company announced that they will begin construction this SEPT 2009.


The mine will be built on land that had traditionally belonged to the indigenous community of Diaguita Huascoaltinos.

They, along with environmentalists, farmers, political leaders and groups in
civil society have condemned the Chilean government bodies
violation of international indigenous rights, and
environmental destruction, and therefore opposes the draft
Barrick Gold.



Come and listen to: Sergio Campusano,
Daniela Guzman and Alvadina Carmona,
Diaguitas leaders-Huascoaltinos. A short video from a documentary by director Christian Peña will also be screened that evening with time premitting.


This Tuesday May 12 2009
Time: 6 P.M. o'clock
Location: Munk Center, University of Toronto
1 Devonshire Place
(Bloor, one block east of St. George Subway Station)
Room: 108N.

Organized by the friends of the communnity Diaguita Huascoaltinos with support of Casa Alvado Allende and ChHA 1610 Voces Latinas

SERGIO BIO:

Sergio Campusano, leader of the Diaguita Descent Community Los Huasco Altinos in Chile.

Since he assumed the role of president, Sergio has been fighting against the greed of the mining corporations and the local agriculture companies in order to maintain the rights of his People. He has participated pressing charges in countless times even against the Chilean State and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. He’s conscious they’re fighting not only to represent the living, but the ancestral thought of preservation of the ecosystem for the entire world, for the children of us all. In this clear idea is impregnated the principles of AUTO-DESTINY, AUTONOMY, and the right of the indigenous peoples of AUTODETERMINATION.

Hace 2 años fue aprobado por el gobierno chileno el proyecto de la
explotación de oro y plata de Pascua Lama, perteneciente a la
transnacional canadiense, Barrick Gold Corporation. Sin embargo la fecha de su lanzamiento sigue pendiente.

La mina será construida en tierras que ancestralmente han pertenecido a la comunidad indígena Diaguita de Huascoaltinos.

Ellos, junto a ecologistas, campesinos, líderes políticos y grupos de la
sociedad civil han denunciado al gobierno chileno ante organismos
internacionales por violación de los derechos de los indígenas, y la
destrucción del medio ambiente, por lo cual se oponen al proyecto de
Barrick Gold.



Ven a escuchar a: Sergio Campusano,
Daniela Guzmán y Alvadina Carmona,
dirigentes Diaguitas- Huascoaltinos


Martes 12 de Mayo
Hora: 6 P.M. en punto (se encarece puntualidad)
Munk Centre, University of Toronto
1 Devonshire Place
(Bloor, una cuadra al Este de la estación Metro St. George)
Sala: 108N.


Organizado por Amigos/as de la Comunidad Diaguita Huascoaltinos

Con el auspicio y la colaboración de Casa Salvador Allende-Toronto

PRESIDENTIAL VISIT Pascua Lama: "We have overcome the obstacles"

President's message was clear: The state has done all he had to do.
VIVIANA PASTOR - DIARIO de CUYO
The President took the head and said: "I forgot ... UUUh Pascua Lama."

A few seconds he had finished his speech and a few steps from the main stage, Cristina Fernandez realized he had forgotten to mention that the road was clear for Pascua Lama. The Argentine government has done all he had to do to start the first binational mining project in the world. It was something that was expected to hear the President say in his speech on Thursday. But forgot.

Is that while the resolution of tax-the last item remaining to be resolved and had been circulated the day before both the Ministry of Mining of the nation and from the company Barrick, owner of the project, this assertion of authority the country, the state was opening the doors to the announcement of the company.

In an exclusive interview to Diario de Cuyo, the President made it clear that now is that Barrick must announce the launch of Pascua Lama.

There is much speculation about the start of Pascua Lama ...

-Explaining these speculations.

-Que Barrick's decision to make the investment soon ...

No, no, no, no. What has occurred in these days is that they have overcome the obstacles that had arisen from a lack of tax agreement between Chile and Argentina regarding Pascua Lama. As Pascua Lama is not only a major undertaking by the magnitude of investment, but is the first feature in the bi world. There was never a mining project of this nature and this requires an institutional engineering in many areas, tax, labor, environmental, everything must be carefully agreed and care. What we have achieved in this last week is the last obstacle to overcome was the issue of taxation between the two countries. Now it is a decision of an entrepreneur.

In a place like San Juan, which has nearly 80% of its area covered by mountains, the mining enterprise must be fully sustainable and environmental stewardship. This can be done because we have done in Santa Cruz with a gold mine, Cerro Vanguardia, where it has been careful about the total environment and all. The important thing is not to believe that progress can be made at the expense of the environment or have a misconception of the environment.

The other day I was reading a book by a French saying that one of the first books in the world of environmental principles was published in Nazi Germany. What do you mean by that? What matters is the objective that both are met, because we need to work, development and progress of our societies, while also looking after the environment in which these societies live. And I think that can be done, it is not impossible because there are rules to comply with laws, environmental care and progress to be built.

- But when it announces Pascua Lama?

If I were the owner of the company had already begun. But I can not vouch for the company, I speak mostly of what makes the obligation of the state of development management. Thank you.

When the President finished his sentence with a thanks, it was because he was not going to talk more, whatever happens. But had the final point to the role of the state to which the work will be announced in coming days by the company.

Barrick Golds 2009 Shareholders meeting

CHECK BACK FOR STORY

OLCA PRESS RELEASE

Barrick buys governments open up the exploitation of Pascua Lama

We denounce the interference of the transnational Barrick Gold mining in the internal decisions of the Republics of Chile and Argentina, after which senior executives of the two Canadian mining sustain top level meetings to press for the mandatory two nations, for the sole purpose unlock of the binational project Pascua Lama resisted.

This is part of the pressures that executives of the mine had to explain to the annual shareholders meeting that Barrick made in Toronto, Canada, and nine years ago, has had to explain the reasons for delaying the construction of the project star of the transnational. This is because almost ten years ago that was environmentally Pascua Lama, and still can not draw an ounce of gold. Something not right with the Chilean-Argentine border to the giant gold.

As broadcast by the media, the meeting between Barrick and Bachelet was held at the Palacio de La Moneda in camera and without making statements to the press on Saturday April 25 at 18 hrs. The President received the Executive Director of the Canadian transnational, Aaron Regent, the Deputy Director of the company, José Antonio Urrutia, accompanied by Chilean Minister of Mining, Santiago González.

The same happened on April 15 in the neighboring Republic of Argentina, where the founder and current president of Barrick, Peter Munk, also held a meeting behind closed doors and no statements to the press with President Cristina Fernandez at the House Rosada, accompanied by one of the staunchest defenders of Barrick, the governor of San Juan, José Luis Gioja, alongside Aaron Regent.

Munk had left the company last year, but according to the press, will not leave until Barrick announced the initiation of construction of Pascua Lama, who is the star of the transnational project and now looks more like the karma of the company. Munk is why the announcement of plans to make long-awaited construction of the binational project these days.
For the ninth time he had to explain at the annual shareholders meeting on April 29 last, the governments of Chile and Argentina had taken a further step in the tax agreement, but were awaiting the final agreement to announce the holding power Project which threatens the life of the valley in Huasco Atacama. Somewhat vague so that the actions do not fall much, but keep the expectations for future economic returns.

Unpresentable is a visit of its kind, behind closed doors and without statements, when spreads on the new law on transparency of the state, labeled as scandalous that the senior executive of Barrick Gold have taken the opportunity to meet with the President of the Republic of Chile, where organizations are opposing the mining project, after almost ten years of struggle, only to have the Minister of Environment, Ana Lya Uriarte, who did not have the courage to review documents and government of the same company that realize the decrease in proceeds from the glaciers thousands of transnational intervention in the area. The same happened with the refusal of MEPs to vote on an inquiry by the Pascua Lama, who just retired and returned to vote not to approve other motions of the day. Happened five times in the National Congress of Chile. Neither the President has the will to receive the community Huasco valley at the government house, as it deserves in a "citizen government".

The only note that participation in this meeting, is an illegal action of a private company with the State of Chile, and thus with all citizens. Perhaps our President of Chile, think that the Director of Barrick Gold is a mining Chile ", such as the Mining Council advertised for people to believe that these are, indeed chilenas. However, the only company that provides truly Chile Codelco is in this guild, the other, almost do not pay taxes, and stop pollution, death, alcoholism and prostitution for where they spend. Responsible Mining Is that it?

The president of Barrick, Peter Munk, released from prison to an arms dealer, his former partner Adnan Kasshoggi. Today, global issues by Munk is a leading company that has run human rights where they have installed. It did so recently, Norway, who after a tough report, Barrick Gold excluded from pension funds by the human and ethical issues involved have a shareholder to a company in Papua New Guinea has been polluting a river with heavy metals, without evaluation of water quality, and hence he has been leaving the population susceptible to serious illnesses. ¿Meanwhile, in Chile it is at the Presidential Palace?

Unpresentable that Bachelet is not receiving the community to resist against this policy submissive in our national soil. The President could have asked for 15 workers killed in the operation of Pascua Lama that have occurred since 1994 in Chile, could also have requested information on the conditions that were laid off over 180 workers Huasco valley that excited by a better future were pressured to resign "voluntarily" after CONAMA approved the mining project. Could also ask why the only border crossing that has a "restricted" in Chile and is called Pascua Lama is coincidentally in the area of the mining project.

Denounce finally, that it is no coincidence that Munk has been through Chile and Argentina to try to unlock Pascua Lama, while Sebastian Bowen, assumed command as General Coordinator of the Coalition for a presidential candidate, Eduardo Frei (DC). Because while he was President Frei of Chile has signed next to the Carlos Menem trans Integration and Cooperation Treaty between Chile and Argentina mining in 1997, legal instrument that allows mining projects on the border, as the Pascua Lama project. But also, because last year Bowen appeared on November 2 with the executives of Barrick to hold the line on what they called "Atacama Commitment," and that has been damaging to the community of the valley Tuesday.
We can not fail to mention that Frei is also in the Political Committee to Belisario Velasco, father of the founders of Extend Communications, a strategic advisory firm that Barrick in Chile.

Is it possible to think that this reunion would have committed money to the presidential campaign of his coalition in exchange for the exploitation of the mining project resisted most of the last time called Pascua Lama?

Coordinator Against Pascua-Lama Santiago
Semillas de Agua