Barrick bids Famatina project goodbye - Argentina

Canadian miner Barrick Gold announced in a statement that it has decided to
definitively abandon the Famatina gold project in northwest Argentina's La
Rioja province.

"We announced in March that [preliminary] exploration works would be
suspended and right now we are in the process of taking down our camp,"
Rodrigo Jim�nez, the company's spokesperson in Argentina, told BNamericas.

Jim�nez explained that Famatina is just one of over 100 exploration projects
the company has around the world and that it is not among Barrick's
priorities. The company announced the suspension of exploration in La Rioja
after the province's lower house approved a bill to prohibit open-pit mining
and the use of pollutants.

According to local press reports, Barrick's exit may have been prompted by
protests by environmental groups that have been blocking access to the area
for several months. The move was agreed upon during talks between provincial
authorities and company representatives.

INVESTMENT CLIMATE

Barrick said in its statement that competition for attracting investments in
this type of project is fairly tough throughout the world, "which is why
countries need to guarantee a stable and attractive investment climate for
investors that take risks with their capital, in everything from political
to economic and social environments."

The company added that - in all of its projects - Barrick adheres to the
respective country's legislation and works under a policy of responsible
mining.

Barrick's activities in Argentina are focused in San Juan province at the
Veladero mine and the Pascua Lama project that straddles the border with
Chile.