Morales names cooperatives leader as Bolivian mining minister

Santiago (Platts)--23Jan2006

Bolivian president Evo Morales Monday named Walter Villarroel, until
today leader of the country's cooperative mining movement, as minister for
mining and metallurgy. Workers from Bolivia's highly politicized mining
coooperatives were leading participants in the violent protests which brought
down two of the country's presidents during the last three years. 

     Morales, who claims to be Bolivia's first indigenous president and has
promised not to destroy plantations of coca leaf, the raw material for cocaine
and crack, has also talked about nationalizing the country's natural gas
reserves, the second largest on the continent after Venezuela, while
reassuring major energy companies including BP and British Gas that their
investments were protected. 

     In mining, he is thought to support reestablishing the power of the
country's withered state mining company Comibol. Major investors in Bolivia's
mining industry include Swiss trading firm Glencore, which last year bought
the country's largest mining company Comsur, and Apex Silver and Couer d'Alene
Mines, both from the US, which are building the San Cristobal and San
Bartolome mines respectively. Before the elections, the Bolivian government
was also preparing to sell a concession to exploit the El Mutun iron ore
deposit in the eastern province of Santa Cruz.

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