Breakaway Ministry of Mines to devolve from current Ministry of Basic Industries & Mining (Mibam)

Following an in-depth background briefing, VHeadline Venezuela can today reveal that, after heated discussions lasting more than two weeks, the National Assembly (AN) Permanent Commission on Mining is forwarding a recommendation to President Hugo Chavez Frias to immediately institute a breakaway Ministry of Mines devolving from the current Ministry of Basic Industries & Mining (Mibam).

Earlier in the Chavez administration the issue of mining had come under the tutelage of the Ministry of Energy & Mines (MEM) which was itself broken into the current Ministry of Energy & Oil and Mibam.

According to sources in the AN commission, the new Ministry of Mines will have comprehensive responsibility under the new Mining Law when it comes into force and will gather together all institutional responsibilities for the country's mining sector including devolved supervision of contracting, revenues, engineering, exploration, labor and other regulatory requirements including step-by-step issuance of all relevant permits.

It is unofficially understood that current Mibam Minister, Rodolfo Sanz will take the key portfolio, while Luis Herrera Mendoza is slated to take over the executive role at Mibam (or MBI - Ministry of Basic Industries) which will include supervisory control of the country's giant steel mills, aluminum production etc.

A key feature of the new Mining Ministry is aimed at having comprehensive control of all aspects of Venezuela's mining industry to eliminate inter-ministerial confusions such as the recent "differences" between Mibam's Rodolfo Sanz and MinAmb's Yuribi Ortega de Carrizales. The latter had caused widespread confusion in a throwaway statement that she will not allow open-pit mining in the Imataca Rainforest region but Mibam's Sanz says already established workings in southern Bolivar State are not covered by her unofficial edict but rather that there is general agreement that the Imataca should not be opened up for further exploration and/or exploitation.

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Venezuela is facing the most difficult period of its history with honest reporters crippled by sectarianism on top of rampant corruption within the administration and beyond, aided and abetted by criminal forces in the US and Spanish governments which cannot accept the sovereignty of the Venezuelan people to decide over their own future.

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