Bucharest (AFP) - Romanias Senate on Tuesday rejected a controversial bill that would have cleared the way for a huge Canadian gold mine project that has sparked massive protests in the last two months. A total of 119 senators voted against the draft law, three voted for and six abstained. The House of Representatives will have the final say, however. Canadian miner Gabriel Resources, which is backed by American billionaire John Paulson and the Israeli Benny Steinmetz Group, hopes to extract 300 tonnes of gold in the picturesque village of Rosia Montana in Transylvania. The open-cast mine would be the biggest in Europe, but use thousands of tonnes of cyanide and damage Roman-era mining galleries. Despite the setback in parliament, Gabriel Resources local subsidiary Rosia Montana Gold Corporation said it will go on trying to get approval for the mine. Draft legislation in Romania is often submitted to the Senate before being sent to the House of Representatives. Despite the Senates rejection, the gold mine bill could still become law with the lower chambers approval. However, analysts expect the House of Representatives to follow the upper chambers lead and reject the bill.
Posted on: Tue, 19 Nov 2013 23:27:11 +0000
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