Nigeria: Strategic Minerals – Don't Abandon Other Minerals
The Miners Association of Nigeria the day before yesterday in Abuja appealed to the Federal Government to pay adequate attention to other minerals not listed among the seven strategic ones.
Mr. Sunday Ekosin, the National President of the association, said that though seven minerals had high economic value, others should not be ignored in the efforts to explore the solid minerals sub-sector.
This is against the backdrop of identification of seven minerals by the Federal Government to be accorded priority due to their economic viability.
The minerals are Baryte, Bitumen, Coal, Limestone, Gold, Iron Ore and Lead/Zinc.
In February this year, the Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development said the seven minerals had the potential of producing more than 70 per cent of the sector’s contributions to the nation’s economy.
Ekosin said out of the 34 types of mineral deposits in the country, the identified seven represented just a fraction.
According to him, each state in the country is blessed with two or more solid minerals, adding that if they are harnessed, they will contribute to the rapid development of the sector.
He said state governments should partner with stakeholders to develop the sector, which he said was capable of contributing meaningfully to the country’s GDP.
In: news · Tagged with: gold, inron ore, lead, minerals, nigeria, zinc
Russia urges for peace mechanism in Northeast Asia
Russia hopes to continue efforts at establishing a peace mechanism in Northeast Asia, a senior Russian diplomat said here Sunday before a new round of nuclear talks on the Korean Peninsula.
”Russia hopes for continuing work on forming foundations of a mechanism of peace and security in the region…This question is on the agenda of the coming meeting,” Ambassador-at-Large Grigory Logonov was quoted by Itar-Tass news agency as saying.
Chief negotiators from China, the United States, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), Russia, Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK) will gather in Beijing on Monday to launch a new round of six-party talks.
The six countries have agreed in previous talks to set up a working group, along with other ones on bilateral ties or nuclear and economic issues, on the establishment of a mechanism of peace in Northeast Asia.
”The process of denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula continues…Delegation heads intend to look above all at how things stand with implementing earlier agreed actions and steps as well as map out plans for the future,” said Logonov.
The DPRK agreed in 2007 in talks with the other five countries to disable its Yongbyon nuclear facility in exchange for economic aid and political concessions, including removing it from Washington’s list of countries supporting terrorism.
But the accord was stalled by disputes over the verification of Pyongyang’s nuclear declaration and the DPRK stopped disabling its nuclear facilities in August in retaliation for Washington’s failure to remove it from the list.
The Bush administration dropped the DPRK from the list on Oct. 11 after the two countries cut a deal on verification during a three-day visit to Pyongyang by chief U.S. negotiator Christopher Hill in early October.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-12/08/content_10470250.htm -Original source, shared with permission
In: stories · Tagged with: northeast asia, peace, peace mechanism, Russia oppnion