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PM Ponta: Rosia Montana gold mining project cannot go on without environmental guarantees
The Rosia Montana gold mining project cannot go on without providing environmental guarantees and the sharing of the Romanian Government in the project should be renegotiated while renouncing the lobby mounted by President Traian Basescu, Prime Minister Victor Ponta told Pro TV commercial television channel in an interview aired on Sunday.
'There are three problems in relation to Rosia Montana, and first and foremost is the environment. First of all, we will not go on and issue the permit until we have all the best environmental guarantees. Secondly, we will not go on until we have renegotiated the sharing of the Romanian Government in the project. Thirdly, we will not go on until we make sure that such a project is not conducted for a president or a prime minister or a politician, but in the interest of Romania,' said Ponta.
Asked whether his Cabinet has a clear deadline for clarifying the fate of this controversial project, Ponta said there is no such thing. He accused President Traian Basescu of lobbying for Rosia Montana Gold Corporation, the project manager, from his presidential office.
Ponta also said it would be good if Rosia Montana Gold Corporation 'understood that such a project should not be conducted through political lobbying or huge expenses incurred by mass-media sponsorships, but by proving to the Romanians, not to the mass-media or the president, that this project meets the environmental safety provisions and the interests of the country.'