Guatemalan bishop calls off mining talks with government

Published: 2006-03-08

GUATEMALA CITY (CNS) -- Guatemalan Bishop Alvaro Ramazzini Imeri of San Marcos has called off talks with the Guatemalan government about the country's mining policy. The bishop, who heads a commission formed last year to negotiate mining reform, said the government has not fulfilled key commitments that were made to the commission, including placing a temporary, legal moratorium on all mining permits for metals and drafting a new mining bill based on guidelines agreed upon by the commission and the government. At a March 6 press conference in Guatemala City, Bishop Ramazzini said that a new mining bill recently presented by the Guatemalan Ministry of Energy and Mines did not reflect the results of months of talks held between the government and the commission. "The months and weeks of dialogue apparently were for nothing," Bishop Ramazzini said at the press conference.

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