VOA常速英语2008年-DRC Government Reviews Mining Contracts

By Naomi Schwarz
Dakar
28 February 2008

Democratic Republic of Congo's government says it will not publish results of a review of more than 60 mining contracts but will work directly with the mining companies to renegotiate terms. The government has forbidden mining in one mineral-rich eastern region, saying mining was being conducted illegally there. Naomi Schwarz has more from Dakar with additional reporting by Eddy¹ Isango.

After reviewing more than 60 mining contracts in unstable², but resource-rich DRC, a government commission has recommended that nearly every contract be renegotiated, at least to some degree. But the specific recommendations of the commission will not be released to the public.

Mining Minister Martin Kabwelulu says a panel of ministers will work directly with the mining companies to address the commission's concerns.

For example, Kabwelulu says all mining companies should have done a feasibility study before signing contracts, but the majority did not.

Many of the deals were originally negotiated during Congo's chaotic³ civil war, which officially ended in 2003.

Without the feasibility study, Kabwelulu says it was up to the private company to decide, for instance, the level of investment the company would make in the surrounding community

He says now the DRC government will work with mining companies to prepare feasibility studies to ensure the contracts benefit the local population as well as the Congolese state.

Kabwelulu says he does not expect the government will have to revoke⁴ any contracts.

He says the government will attempt to come to an understanding with all mining companies. He says this is not the moment to chase anyone away, and that the government needs to work with everyone.

The government has forbidden all mining activity in the Walikale region, a key area for the mining of coltan, a mineral used in the production of cell phones. The forested area, in Congo's far east, is a site of ongoing⁵ conflict between local militias⁶, Rwandan-backed fighters, Congolese soldiers, and others, as each group tries to gain control of the mineral wealth there.

Kabwelulu says mining permits in Walikale are only for research purposes, but he says there has been large-scale illegal mining.

The government estimates about 1,200 tons per month of coltan and other minerals have been illegally and clandestinely⁷ exported from the region.

Some NGOs say the government has not been open enough about the review process or how they plan to improve the impact of mining on the country.

Joseph Bobia, is the spokesman for Congolese-based environmental and development watchdog CENADEP.

He says it is not a bad system to work directly with mining companies to renegotiate the contracts.

But he says the government needs to be more transparent⁸ in its dealings with mining companies, so that all the people affected⁹ by the agreements, including the local population, can be informed.

1 eddy   

n.漩涡，涡流

参考例句：

• The motor car disappeared in eddy of dust.汽车在一片扬尘的涡流中不见了。
• In Taylor's picture,the eddy is the basic element of turbulence.在泰勒的描述里，旋涡是湍流的基本要素。

2 unstable   

adj.不稳定的，易变的

参考例句：

• This bookcase is too unstable to hold so many books.这书橱很不结实，装不了这么多书。
• The patient's condition was unstable.那患者的病情不稳定。

3 chaotic   

adj.混沌的，一片混乱的，一团糟的

参考例句：

• Things have been getting chaotic in the office recently.最近办公室的情况越来越乱了。
• The traffic in the city was chaotic.这城市的交通糟透了。

4 revoke   

v.废除，取消，撤回

参考例句：

• The university may revoke my diploma.大学可能吊销我的毕业证书。
• The government revoked her husband's license to operate migrant labor crews.政府撤销了她丈夫管理外来打工人群的许可证。

5 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

6 militias   

n.民兵组织，民兵( militia的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The troops will not attempt to disarm the warring militias. 部队并不打算解除战斗中的民兵武装。 来自辞典例句
• The neighborhood was a battleground for Shiite and Sunni militias. 那里曾是什叶派和逊尼派武装分子的战场。 来自互联网

7 clandestinely   

adv.秘密地，暗中地

参考例句：

• You should do your competing clandestinely, by disguising your export volumes and prices somehow. 你应该设法隐瞒出口数量和价格，暗中进行竞争。 来自辞典例句
• Darlington. Stevens's angst is clandestinely disclosed while he makes contact with other people. 就在史帝文斯与他人接触的当下，透露出一种不可言喻的焦虑气氛。 来自互联网

8 transparent   

adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的

参考例句：

• The water is so transparent that we can see the fishes swimming.水清澈透明，可以看到鱼儿游来游去。
• The window glass is transparent.窗玻璃是透明的。

9 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。