Campaign against Eurogold hots up with mission to TRNC

Campaign against Eurogold hots up with mission to TRNC

http://www.turkishdailynews.com/old_editions/01_30_97/for.htm

ANKARA- Bergama Municipality has been on a fact-finding mission to the villages of Lefke and Gemikonagi in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), where the Cyprus Mining Company (CMC) operated a mine for over 50 years from 1920 until 1974, the Anatolia news agency reported on Wednesday.

A special committee from Bergama visited Lefke Mayor Mehmet Zafer to find out information on CMC's mining activities.

The company was involved in copper and gold mining in the areauntil 1974. "CMC quit their activities in 1974 when the Turkish Armed Forces's peace operation began. They left three million tons of poisonous chemical waste over 2000 acres. This is still there and we can't get rid of it. Lefke's shores are now known as the "Crimson Sea because of the waste," said Zafer.

"We want CMC to clean up the area they destroyed. But the company doesn't acknowledge this issue. To clean up the poisonous area we need $700 million," he added.

Bergama Mayor Sefa Taskin said if the cyanide leaching process is used in Bergama, the same problems as in Lefke will arise. No matter what measures are taken, the environment cannot be completely protected from damage. Even though CMC was last involved in mining in Lefke in 1974, there is still poisonous waste left behind.

In rebuttal, Eurogold claims the mining process in the TRNC did not destroy the environment. In a written statement Eurogold officials said:

"In 1974 a copper mine was abandoned on Cyprus after the Peace Operation. This mine brought job opportunities to 8600 people and provided a number of advantages to the locals. We would like to point out that Eurogold has won several environmental awards for its latest technology and chemical refining processes, which cannot be compared with other projects in Lefke and around the world. We will use the same modern processes in Bergama."

In a further move, the Food First Information Action Network, a human rights organization based in Germany, has requested the Governor of Izmir Kutlu Aktas to use his authority to close down the Eurogold operation until current legal proceedings are completed.