We have been saying over and over again that we are fighting against a mafia and that bribery and corruption is the normal habit among mining companies. We must ask ourselves from time to time, who are we confronting? Who are they really? How do they operate?
Barrick has recently been trumpeting that they have �social license� or approval, of the United Nations because the UN has given positive certification of their use of cyanide in mining operations. This should not surprising because for some years now, Barrick enjoys a blind eye from UNESCO (United Nations Education, Science and Cultural Organization) in destroying the heart of the San Guillermo UNESCO World Heritage Biosphere Reserve in the Argentina province of San Juan. To this date, UNESCO has maintained absolute silence, and still there are those who believe that to achieve this status really means an ecological conquest of sustainable development.
Who awarded Barrick Gold approval for good use of cyanide?
The International Cyanide Management Institute is an entity created by the very transnational mining companies themselves. They were asked to so by a committee which united the companies involved in chemical mining, within the framework of the Environmental Program of the United Nations. This meeting arose from the havoc created the uncontrolled use of cyanide in mining, as it was clearly time to clean the image of an activity causing contamination and impacts from day one of operations. The goal is to gain the �social license to operate� which has been denied by communities either affected or about to be affected by large-scale open-pit mining operations utilizing cyanide. The committee created the International Cyanide Management Code to cover the manufacturing, transport and use of cyanide in gold mining production. Nothing is said about sulfuric acid or the other chemicals used in the mining of other minerals, such as copper, uranium; only gold. Nowhere in the certification process is there certification of management of cyanide after it is used in leaching the gold from ore bodies, nor mention or guarantees of control of acid mine drainage. All of the member corporations making up the board and signing the certifications are directly involved in gold mining business.
Who are the members of the International Cyanide Management Institute?
The president of the ICMI is Paul Bateman, chief of Klein, Saks & Group � of Washington D.C. � a public affairs company focused on the mining and metals industries. He had been executive director of the Silver Institute, and president of the Gold Institute, as well as advisor to the Nixon, Reagan and Bush administrations, serving in the Department of Commerce and Treasury. He has served as president of the Economic Club of New York.
The ICMI vice-president is Norm Greenwald, who is presented as an expert in environment and cyanide management. He has worked for multinational mining forms, and advised auditors how to evaluate cyanide use in gold mining. He has advised boards of mining companies throughout countries where extractive industries are carried out. He is a mining industry consultant.
Another member is John Mudge, director of environmental affairs of Newmont Mining Corporation, one of the world�s largest mining multinationals. We will not delve into details.
However, the biggest surprise, one which we are growing more and more familiar with, is the presence of the World Wildlife Fund, which forms part of the board of the International Cyanide Management Institute. The WWF has already been working in an environmental certification code for mining firms operating in Australia. Which ones? Barrick Gold, for example, which has been causing disasters with the contamination of aquifers in their Cowal Lake mines, whose pit wall suffered a tremendous landslide this past March.
Who is the alma mater, although invisible, head of the WWF?
Prince Philip, consort to the Queen of England.
Who is the president of Barrick Gold Corporation?
Peter Munk, active member of the World Wildlife Fund, and intimate friend of Prince Philip (see La Macabra Barrick de Bush, and Inside story: the Bush gang and Barrick Gold Corporation).
Who managed the creation of the International Cyanide Management Code and organized the creation of the board of directors of the ICMI?
The answer is Barrick Gold. The international giant of open-pit gold mining, which recently enjoyed certification of their three mines in South America, with two already certified in Per� and Australia.
To say that the United Nations oversees and controls the International Cyanide Management Institute is the most asinine lie of the year� So far�
Javier Rodr�guez Pardo
May 16, 2008
Antinuclear Movement of Chubut (MACH)
National Ecology Action Network Argentina (RENACE)
Union of Citizen Assemblies Argentina (UAC)
machsepa21@yahoo.com.ar
-----
Translated by David Modersbach
dmoders@yahoo.com
BARRICK GOLD, EL CIANURO Y LAS NACIONES UNIDAS
Por Javier Rodr�guez Pardo
Hemos dicho hasta el cansancio que estamos luchando contra mafiosos y que el soborno es la norma habitual de los negocios mineros. �Debemos preguntarnos a cada rato a quienes enfrentamos? �Qui�nes son? �C�mo operan?.
Barrick sale a pregonar que tiene la licencia social de las Naciones Unidas (ONU) porque ha certificado positivamente el uso del cianuro, y no es de extra�ar porque hace rato que cuenta con la licencia de la UNESCO (ONU) para destruir el ecosistema (Pascua Lama) en el coraz�n de la Reserva de Biosfera de San Guillermo en la provincia argentina de San Juan, con estatus de esa entidad internacional que hasta el d�a de hoy mantiene absoluto silencio, y todav�a hay compa�eros que consideran que gozar de ese estatus es una conquista ecol�gica de desarrollo sostenible.
�Qui�n le otorg� a Barrick el cr�dito del buen uso del cianuro?
El Instituto Internacional del Manejo del Cianuro, esto es, una entidad creada por las propias transnacionales mineras a pedido de un comit� que re�ne a las partes involucradas, en el marco del Programa Ambiental de las Naciones Unidas, debido a los estragos que viene haciendo el uso del cianuro en la miner�a, y de esta forma poder lavar la imagen de una actividad que registra impactos de contaminaci�n desde el primer d�a extractivo. Su prioridad es ganarse la licencia social negada por las comunidades damnificadas o en v�as de serlo, donde se explotan yacimientos a cielo abierto con cianuro. La entidad emite el C�digo Internacional de Manejo del Cianuro para la fabricaci�n, trasporte y uso en la producci�n de oro. (Nada dice del �cido sulf�rico y del resto de la miner�a del cobre, uranio, etc. S�lo la del oro); tampoco certifica que se destruya el cianuro despu�s de la lixiviaci�n del oro, con lo que no garantizan el control de los drenajes �cidos posteriores. Todos los miembros que componen el directorio y que firman las certificaciones est�n involucrados en el comercio de la miner�a.
�Qui�nes son los miembros del C�digo Internacional del Manejo del Cianuro?
Su presidente Paul Bateman, responsable de Klein Saks & Group �en Washington DC- dedicado a asesorar empresas mineras y organizaciones de la industria metal�fera. Hab�a sido director ejecutivo del Instituto de la Industria de la Plata, y presidente de la Industria del Oro. Fue asistente de Richard Nixon, de Ronald Reegan, y en el gobierno de George W. Bush sirvi� en los Departamentos de Comercio y del Tesoro. Desde 2004 preside tambi�n el Club Econ�mico de Nueva York.
El vicepresidente es Norm Greenwal, que lo presentan como experto en medio ambiente y en manejo del cianuro. Ha trabajado para las transnacionales mineras e instruye a auditores para que eval�en el buen uso del cianuro en minas de oro. Asesora a las direcciones de miner�a de los pa�ses donde operan las transnacionales extractivas. Es consultor de las mineras.
Otro de sus miembros es John Mudge, gerente ambiental de Newmont, nada menos que una de las mayores transnacionales mineras, y no merece que abundemos en detalles.
Sin embargo la sorpresa mayor nos la depar� una entidad con la que ya estamos familiarizados, la Fundaci�n World Wildlife (la WWF del osito panda) que forma parte del directorio del C�digo Internacional del Manejo del Cianuro. La WWF ya ven�a trabajando en un c�digo de certificaci�n minera ambiental para las empresas que operan en Australia �Cu�les? La Barrick Gold, por ejemplo, que ha hecho estragos por contaminaci�n de acu�feros con su mina en Lago Cowal, y desde marzo pasado por el derrumbe de una de las paredes de su �open pit�.
�Qui�n es el alma mater, aunque cabeza invisible de la WWF?
El pr�ncipe Felipe, consorte de la reina de Inglaterra.
�Qui�n es el presidente de Barrick Gold Corporation?
Peter Munk, miembro activo de la ONG WWF e �ntimo amigo del pr�ncipe Felipe (Ref.: nuestros art�culos La Macabra Barrick de Bush y Barrick Miente).
�Qui�n gestion� la creaci�n del C�digo Internacional de Manejo del Cianuro y a pedido de quien se constituy� el directorio?
Barrick Gold es la respuesta. La transnacional gigante de la miner�a a cielo abierto, ya certific� con este sistema a sus tres minas en Sudam�rica y antes las de Per� y Australia.
Decir que la ONU fiscaliza y regentea el Instituto Internacional de Manejo del Cianuro es la burrada m�s grande del a�o, aunque seguramente habr� otras por venir que la superen.
Javier Rodr�guez Pardo, 16 de mayo 2008, Cel. 0111567485340 (machsepa21@yahoo.com.ar) Movimiento Antinuclear del Chubut (MACH), Red Nacionalde Acci�n Ecologista (RENACE), Union de Asambleas Ciudadanas (UAC)
|
