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(TALKZIMBABWE) ACR requests Biti's mediation

ACR requests Biti's mediation
By: TZG-TFG
Posted: Wednesday, July 28, 2010 1:10 pm

AFRICAN Consolidated Resources (ACR) has written directly to Finance Minister Tendai Biti to help it strike a 50/50 mining deal with government at Chiadzwa diamond fields.

The London-registered and London listed company said it is agreeable to an out of court settlement, and want the minister to act as a broker for such a deal. ACR said Mines and Mining Development Minister, Obert Mpofu, would not be the ideal person to honour such a deal, which government is unlikely to approve of.

In Mid-Term Fiscal Policy Review statement presented earlier this month, Mr Biti suggested an "out of court settlement" between ACR and government over the diamond claims.

Government accusses ACR of fraudulently obtaining mining claims to mine diamonds at Chiadzwa in the Eastern district's Marange fields.

The case is currently before the Supreme Court after government appealed against last year’s verdict delivered by High Court Judge, Charles Hungwe, which said the claims belonged to the mining company.

“We remain willing to consider any reasonable proposal to resolve matters amicably," wrote ACR's Chief Executive Mr Andrew Cranswick to Mr Biti.

Mr Cranswick, who is now temporarily exiled to the United Kingdom where ACR is registered added: "Unfortunately, there is animosity and mistrust between parties at present and accordingly we would welcome a pro-active role from your office to bring the parties to a negotiating table, on an entirely without prejudice basis.”

The communication was also copied to President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, who have always remained uninvolved in the legal wrangle.

“Whilst we remain confident that the law and the facts are clearly supportive of our position, we appreciate that this is a matter of national importance, which must be resolved, preferably by acceptable compromise,” added Mr Cranswick.

Labels: AFRICAN CONSOLIDATED RESOURCES PLC, ANDREW CRANSWICK

posted by MrK @ 2:02 PM