Tuesday, September 28, 2004
UPDATE: Pirates Near Conchan; Inca Pacific News; and Pricing Coffee
Print Today's Peruvia Here
Quijandria To Leave Cabinet: Reuters reports that Jaime Quijandria, the Minister of Energy and Mines, said on Monday "he was quitting the government for a two-year post on the board of the World Bank." He stated that, "The World Bank meets on October 3 to elect the new board. I have been proposed to occupy the seat that we hold together with Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Colombia. I'll resign as soon as I am elected." NOTE: "Quijandria is one of the government's most senior ministers. He is currently on his second stint as energy and mines minister and has also been economy minister in an earlier Toledo cabinet. ALSO: Said Quijandria, "What's my function? To take care of the interests of the country regarding the $400 million we hope to receive from year to year ... to help make projects advance rapidly and also to take care of the interests of the other countries I represent."
Pirates Near Conchan: The International Maritime Bureau's weekly bulletin and Bloomberg (based on the IMB) report that "pirates took a ship's security guard hostage and beat him up in an attack off Peru yesterday" at "27.09.2004 at 0130 LT at Conchan, Peru." NOTE: "Five armed robbers boarded the bulk-carrier, a ship used to carry commodities such as coal and iron ore." The name and size of the ship weren't reported. The shore security patrol responded with an exchange of gunfire. The pirates escaped in a speedboat with stolen property from the ship."
Mining Law, cont.: Reuters reports that "Peru's government is taking steps to enforce a new law charging royalties to mining companies even though it is asking Congress to revise the way royalties are assessed under the measure," according Minister of Energy and Mines Jaime Quijandria who told a press conference, "We can't hold it up any longer. If the law is modified (later), we'll modify the ruling. (The royalty) would start to be charged from when the ruling comes out." NOTE: "Mining is the backbone of Peru's economy, which is on course for growth of up to 5% this year, and generates half the country's exports." ALSO: The minister also declared, "We're going to cross our fingers, touch wood. Let's hope that in the (Congress) debate at least they'll agree to clarify the subject. I don't know whether it will be related to prices in the end."
PetroTech Expands: Oil and Gas Journal reports that PetroTech Peruana SA "recently closed a third offshore exploration and exploitation contract with Perupetro, the state oil agency, for Block Z-33, in Peru's territorial waters off the Lima and Cañete provinces at depths of 400-1,200 ft. The company is committed to process and interpret 1,500 km of conventional seismic data, shoot 150 sq km of 3D seismic, and drill three exploratory wells." NOTE: "Perupetro estimates the company will invest $22 million in the new block."
Inca Miners: Inca Pacific announced in a press release "the results for holes PM-102 through PM-106, the sixth set of results from the 2004 diamond drill campaign. All holes were drilled in the Chavin zone of the Magistral deposit, near the northern limit of the planned open pit."
Team Peru Announced: Sky Sports reports that Peru coach "Paulo Autuori has "announced his overseas stars that will play in the country's upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Bolivia and Paraguay." Peru's overseas squad players are: Claudio Pizarro (Bayern Munich), Roberto Palacios (Deportivo Cali), Miguel Rebosio (Almeria), Julio Garcia (Morelia), Jefferson Farfan (PSV Eindhoven), Andres Mendoza (Metallurg), Nolberto Solano (Aston Villa) and Santiago Acasiete (Almeria).
Bandits Strike: The Jerusalem Post reports that "four Israelis trekking in Peru were attacked by bandits while on a hike on Monday. The robbers shot and wounded the Israelis, but their medical condition remains unknown. A group of trekkers who passed by gave the Israelis basic medical treatment. The trekkers managed to contact the Israeli Foreign Ministry through a satellite phone. The ministry sent out a helicopter to the area to evacuate the wounded Israelis. ALSO: According to ‘Army Radio,’ "the four are expected to land in the capital Lima on Tuesday afternoon."
Proper Development: The Inter Press News Service offers a Latin American perspective of the Conference on European Development Cooperation in The Hague and states that Latin American development exports see "'no reason for optimism." Peruvian economist, Mariano Valderama said that "'We get big mission statements, but no reality. [This] was not just a problem of the European Commission, but also of cooperation programs by member states such as Germany." Valderama states that "'When I was in charge of the Peruvian ministry for Planning's department for development cooperation two years ago, I received the EU action proposition for 2000- 2006. The document I received started at page 46. When I asked where the first 45 pages were, I was told those included the country strategy paper, which was an internal document produced in Brussels. No Latin Americans had been involved.'" ALSO: Valderama suggested that, "In Peru, we have the United Kingdom, Spain, Germany and the European Commission working on education. They all work in the same field, almost in the same areas, but each has its own style. A lot of effectiveness is therefore lost.'" See Also: ‘International Cooperation, Poverty, and Democracy’ and ‘The Tower of Babel: NGO’s, Foreign Aid, and Development’ both by Mariano Valderama.
PAHO Meets and Elects: The Pan American Health Organization announced in a press release the opening of their annual meeting "to analyze the health situation in the region and adopt key resolutions on important public health problems." NOTE: "The governing body of PAHO, is made up of all the health ministers, who meet annually to set health policies and receive new reports on the state of health in the Americas. This year, the Minister of Health of Nicaragua, Dr. José Antonio Alvarado, was elected President, the ministers of Cuba and Peru [Pilar Mazzetti Soler] were named vice presidents."
Pricing Coffee: Reuters offers a photograph of dry coffee beans from the Altomayo Valley to report that USA coffee drinkers "may soon have to swallow more expensive coffee as soaring futures and rising costs from milk to fuel induce roasters to charge more for the steamy brew, industry participants said." In Spanish: See Cafe Altamayo's website
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