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Headlines : CorporationsNiger Renews Mining Deal With Nuclear Giant Areva
Natural resources, especially concerning energy, are extremely important to Western nations. These nations consume energy like a good simile would make you laugh. Fortunately for France and other nations who buy from Areva, there is war-torn Niger.
A new deal has been accomplished in Niger concerning nuclear energy. First the Tuareg were angry they weren’t getting a fair share from the government, now mining will take place on their land. I wonder if they’ll be terrible axis-of-evil terrorists soon, if they aren’t already. The article refers to the people of the Tuareg as “nomadic rebels” and “insurgents,” but at least they are fighting for something other than Islamic Jihad.
Concerning Niger and those pesty Tuaregs:
“Although French efforts at ‘pacification’ began before 1900, dissident ethnic groups, especially the desert Tuareg, were not fully subdued until 1922, when Niger became a French colony.” [-Wiki]
Thank God for Neocolonialism, now at least some people in Niger (other than those nomadic insurgent rebels) are pacified and don’t mind France in their backyard robbing their nuclear gold with the government reaping most likely little of the profits, even with the apparent 50% raise.
[Posted By kbz]Republished from Voice of America
The French industrial giant Areva has renewed its uranium mining agreement with Niger.
The agreement has fixed uranium prices for the company’s existing Cominak and Somair mines for the next two years. The price Niger sells uranium to the mining company will increase by about 50 percent.
The terms of the deal also give the company a go-ahead for a new mining project in Imouraren, which is planned to begin in 2010. This is projected to be the largest investment in Niger history.
...
“Niger is very strategic for France. The majority of uranium for France comes from Niger and indeed French energy security is dependent on predictable consistent sources of uranium,” said Vines.
He says during the past year it is uncertain how much the Niger government could get out of a renewed deal, but that 50 percent is a significant gain.
Vines says the Tuareg insurgency is a complicating factor.
“The issue of the Tuaregs became alive again at the end of last year, and I imagine that we will still see further insecurity. But this shows the pragmatic…
Posted by kbz
[insert stereotypes here]
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