DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
U.S.-based Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. (FCX) expects
to resolve its contract row with the Congolese government over the
$2 billion Tenke Fungurume copper/cobalt project ahead of a
government set deadline next week, a company spokeswoman said
Wednesday.
Talks with the government are continuing and a compromise is
expected to be reached by next week, Rashi Margaret Kifamba, the
communications officer for Tenke Fungurume, told U.N.-sponsored
Radio Okapi.
The Congolese government gave the company two months from Aug. 6
to resolve contract issues with the state mining company, Gecamines
or face closure.
Kifamba told Okapi that the project is very important to the
country employing up to 3,500 workers and appealed to the
government to soften its stance. She added that the company's
contract is fair and complies with the Congolese mining code.
Tenke Fungurume started output in March.
Freeport officials could not comment immediately.
-By Nicholas Bariyo, contributing to Dow Jones Newswires; +256
75 262 4615; bariyonic@yahoo.co.uk