Papua urges stay in Gag nickel mines<\/p>\n
Irian Jaya or Papua has urged Australia's BHP Billiton to stay
\nin a nickel mine project on the province's Gag Island and asked
\nthe government to allow the project, provincial governor Jacob
\nSoloussa said on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Soloussa also said he asked Indonesian President Megawati
\nSoekarnoputri to give special treatment to the province by
\nallowing it to export logs.<\/p>\n
Falconbridge Ltd said last month it had pulled out of the Gag
\nIsland nickel project and would allow a joint venture agreement
\nwith BHP Billiton Plc\/Ltd to lapse.<\/p>\n
BHP Billiton said last month in Melbourne it was reviewing its
\noptions for Gag Island. With an estimated 240 million tons of
\nnickel, it had been viewed by the market as one of the company's
\nlonger-term sources of growth.<\/p>\n
Canadian nickel giant Falconbridge and BHP signed a joint
\nventure in June 2000 to consider developing Gag Island, but moves
\nby Indonesia to protect forests and ban open-pit mining in those
\nareas led to a suspension of the project.<\/p>\n
\"We need the Gag island nickel project to be established,
\nbecause that will give benefits and contributions to the
\nprovince,\" Soloussa told reporters after meeting Megawati.<\/p>\n
\"We want the government to allow the project and to issue the
\nlicense as soon as possible,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"There are misunderstandings about the forestry mapping about
\nGag island. There is no (protected) forest there,\" he added.<\/p>\n
\"There will be a government team to check the situation.\"<\/p>\n
An official at the mines and energy ministry said separately
\nthat the government was working on issuing regulations that could
\nease mining restrictions.<\/p>\n
Soloussa also said: \"We asked the President for special
\ntreatment to allow the province to export log timber despite
\nforestry ministry rules banning log exports.\"<\/p>\n
The ban had hurt Papua's revenue, he said, adding the
\nprovincial government was monitoring activity closely to protect
\nthe environment.<\/p>\n
Indonesia Forestry Minister Muhammad Prokosa issued a ban on
\nlog exports effective in October last year to protect diminishing
\ntropical forests. -- Reuters<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/papua-urges-stay-in-gag-nickel-mines-1447899208",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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