The search for rare earth metals will venture into new areas after voluble concerns forced one company to pull out from exploration activities in the ecologically sensitive New River Triangle in southeast Guyana.
“We have not given up on intentions to develop rare earth resources. We will be venturing in new areas and I make no apology for this, absolutely no apology for this in looking at new areas and looking at new activities. They can say what they want, as long as things are done in a legal and transparent way,” Minister of Natural Resources Robert Persaud said on Saturday.
“… Venture into looking at rare earth was structured in the area of diversification. Those who will criticize us for looking at new opportunities will be the same who will criticize us if we do not point the sector in a way of diversification,” he added.
Following weeks of intense scrutiny of the circumstances under which it was granted permission for geographical and geophysical surveys in the New River Triangle, Muri Brasil Ventures Inc. two Saturdays ago announced that it would no longer be pursuing the search for rare earths in the area. It cited misinformation, prejudice and hostility for its pullout.
“It is unfortunate that in the New River area that the company pulled out and as the President made it clear he did not encourage or he did not ask the company to. The company took the decision because of the investment climate,” Persaud said. “Those questioning this particular investment. Where will they find the investor who will upfront put millions of US dollars to carry out that type of survey? That is not mining and those who confuse the issue they know better. They are confusing it to mislead the public. We need to ignore and rebuff those who want to take us in a different direction,” Persaud argued.
Meanwhile, leader of the main opposition coalition APNU, David Granger at a press conference on Friday said that the party was concerned with the manner in which the investment was being pursued. “No question of sovereignty. That is part of Guyana’s territory. We have a problem with the manner in which the investment was being pursued, that is our main concern. We are concerned about territorial security. As far as sovereignty is concerned, we are fully in support of the fact that the New River is part of Guyana’s territory,” he said.
“When you look at areas where the Government has the capability to enforce the law and to ensure environmental regulations are observed, e.g. look at Mahdia, Region 8, it is in a mess. We do not have any confidence in the ability of the Government to enforce the law and ensure the environment will be protected. There must be areas which we have the ability that are not going to be destroyed. The question is a matter of environmental protection and the matter of legality, we did not get the benefit of information with regards to what was intended. We did not know, we did not have all the details,” Granger asserted.
Additionally, APNU Shadow Minister for Agriculture Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine said that their primary concern in relation to mining in the New River Triangle had to do with its unique condition as a biodiversity treasure.
“It is really the last and pristine untouched area of the Guyana forest and any decision to extract from that area has to be very seriously considered. It has nothing to do with Suriname. This is to do with a section of our forest that needs to be protected. We need to find out what is in there and we need to do some serious work with biodiversity and find out what it is we are protecting. My own view is that it should be a closed area,” he said.
On the statement made by the company to pull out of the project, Roopnaraine said, “The statement made by Muri was extremely self-serving and malicious and had nothing to do with reality. The denial to build the airstrip had nothing to do with APNU, that was a cabinet decision.” Prior to Muri’s decision to pull out, Works Minister Robeson Benn had announced that the company had been denied permission for the construction of an airstrip in the New River Triangle.
