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Monday, 11/12/2012 2:27:05 PM

Monday, November 12, 2012 2:27:05 PM

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ABG mining laws loom: report

TENSIONS seem to be arising between the Autonomous Bougainville government and the PNG government, with ABG president John Momis reportedly aiming to introduce mining laws before the end of 2012.
According to The National, Momis will not attend a PNG government proposed meeting in Port Moresby tomorrow over “matters related to reopening” the long-troubled Panguna copper-gold mine in Bougainville.
Momis told the newspaper that the ABG should initiate actions in relation to Panguna and warned the PNG government to “recognise that authority”.
He reportedly said the ABG had the clear moral authority to make all decisions about the future of Panguna.
“Further, we are far advanced in the process of transferring mining powers to Bougainville agreed in 2008,” Momis reportedly said.
“The ABG envisages passing its own mining law before the end of the year.”
Gaining community approval is a major hurdle that Rio Tinto subsidiary Bougainville Copper needs to overcome to reopen the Panguna mine.
There were about 600 landowners or landowner representatives of the 1980 compensation agreement for the mine – providing plenty of scope for differences of opinion.

Panguna was the world’s fourth-largest copper mine in the months before it closed in 1989, with Bougainville Island subsequently embroiled in years of civil war.
The mine produced 9 million ounces of gold and 3 million tonnes of copper from 1972.
The Panguna permits under the existing Bougainville Copper Act allow for mining up to 2032.
The orebody at Panguna is only partially mined, with large available reserves.
In the mine’s last year of operation, estimated mill feed was at 691Mt at 0.4% copper and 0.47 grams per tonne gold.
Rio Tinto owns about 54% of Bougainville Copper.


09.11.2012
Source: The National

Bougainville has legal power

THE Autonomous Region of Bougainville says it has a legal and moral authority – not the national government – to make decisions on the Panguna mine.
ARB President chief Dr John Momis will not attend a meeting in Port Moresby tomorrow proposed by the national government to discuss matters related to the reopening of the mine in Bougainville.
Momis said because the Bougainville crisis originated from the conflict over Panguna, it was the ABG that had a “clear moral authority” to make all decisions about the future of the Panguna mine.
“Further, we are far advanced in the process of transferring mining powers to Bougainville agreed in 2008. The ABG envisages passing its own mining law before the end of the year,” Momis said.
He said the ABG should be the one to initiate actions in relation to Panguna and urged the national government to “recognise that authority”.
He said the ABG was building its capacity to deal with mining issues by establishing a mining department, an office for Panguna negotiations and a cabinet committee on Panguna negotiations.
“All decisions about the future of Panguna will be made utilising this home-grown capacity,” Momis said.
He said they welcomed any suggestions from the national government on the mine but any discussions on these should be held in Bougainville, not Port Moresby.
The invitation for the Port Moresby meeting tomorrow came from the Minister for Petroleum, Oil and Gas William Duma in collaboration with Bougainville Regional MP Joseph Lera, Minister for Bougainville Affairs Steven Pirika Kamma and Minister for Communication Jimmy Miringtoro.
The discussions are expected to be on:
Possible Panguna mine ownership concepts; benefit-sharing models available for consideration by the ABG and the national government on the Panguna mine; and, options for possible mine developers from Brazil, Venezuela and other South American nations other than Bougainville Copper Ltd.

...for goodness sake lets have some fun watching these people squirm. - CH